What happened
On 1 October 2022, a Transavia France Boeing 73 and 800, registered F-GZHA, was performing a commercial flight from Djerba, Tunisia, to Nantes-Atlantique airport. The flight crew included a captain acting as an instructor and a co-pilot in Line Flying Under Supervision (LIFUS).
During the approach to runway 21, the co-pilot elected to fly the aircraft manually for training purposes. As the aircraft approached the threshold, the co-pilot applied a significant nose-up input during the flare maneuver. The aircraft touched down on the upward-sloping part of the runway with a high vertical load factor of 2.95 g. This contact triggered a bounce. During the subsequent second contact, the nose landing gear was subjected to an estimated load factor of 6.5 g, causing both nose tires to burst and the rims to fail and detach from the assembly. The debris from the wheels struck the aircraft's airframe and engines, causing substantial damage.
The investigation
The BEA examined flight data from the CVR and FDR, radar data, and airport security footage. The investigation focused on the flight path during the final approach, the execution of the flare maneuver, and the physical characteristics of the runway. Investigators analyzed the longitudinal slopes of runway 2 and the impact of the aircraft's pitch attitude during the touchdown and bounce sequence. The investigation also reviewed the crew's briefing regarding the known threats of the runway profile and the instructor's management of the training flight.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was a late and excessive nose-up input during the flare, which led to a hard landing on an upward-sloping section of the runway.
- The runway profile at Nantes-Atlantique contains longitudinal slope non-conformities that exceed certification specifications, which were not explicitly published in the AIP.
- The co-pilot's lack of confidence, following a previous hard landing, and the decision to fly manually for training purposes contributed to the flight dynamics.
- The instructor applied a significant nose-down input during the bounce without notifying the co-pilot, contributing to the secondary impact.
- The lack of notification of previous hard landings to the airport operator prevented the updating of safety studies regarding the runway profile.
Safety action
- The BEA recommended that the airport operator and AIS include specific warnings regarding the non-conforming longitudinal slopes of runway 21 in the Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP).