What happened
On the night of January 28, 2014, a Darwin Airlines Saab 2000, registration HB-IZG, was performing a commercial flight to Paris Charles-de-Gaulle Airport. During the final approach to runway 27R, the crew encountered turbulence and a crosswind. As the aircraft entered the flare, the main landing gear made a heavy initial contact with the runway.
Following this initial touchdown, the aircraft bounced twice. During these successive bounces, the flight crew engaged in conflicting control inputs. On the third and final touchdown, the nose landing gear struck the runway with a high vertical velocity, causing the gear to break off due to structural overload. The aircraft sustained severe damage and came to a stop on the runway.
The investigation
Investigators examined the aircraft's flight parameters and physical components to reconstruct the landing sequence. Analysis of the flight data revealed that the aircraft touched the ground three times within a five-second window. The first two contacts involved only the main landing gear, while the third contact involved the nose gear.
The investigation also reviewed the crew's actions and the airline's operational procedures. It was noted that the captain had been providing significant instructions and manual inputs during the approach, effectively acting as an instructor rather than a monitoring pilot. Furthermore, the investigation looked into the airline's lack of specific procedures for managing aircraft bounces and its inability to effectively detect hard landings through existing maintenance recorders.
Findings
- The primary cause of the gear failure was the extreme vertical load applied to the nose landing gear during the third touchdown.
- Dual inputs from the crew members, who were both making opposing pitch commands without formal communication, led to the uncontrolled bouncing sequence.
- The captain performed sudden, instinctive pitch-up movements without announcing a change in control, which disrupted crew coordination.
- The airline lacked defined procedures for managing landing bounces and had no objective criteria for designating inexperienced pilots as the pilot flying.
- The aircraft's low ground clearance and specific design characteristics made it difficult for crews to distinguish between a firm landing and a hard landing.