What happened
On the night of 28 January 2014, a Darwin Airlines Saab 2000, registration HB-IZG, was performing a commercial flight to Paris Charles-de-Gaulle Airport. During the final approach, the crew encountered turbulence and a crosswind. As the aircraft entered the flare, the captain, acting as Pilot Monitoring, instinctively applied a significant nose-up input on the control column without announcing his intention to take control.
The aircraft made an initial hard touchdown on the main landing gear. This was immediately followed by two bounces. During these bounces, the crew provided conflicting inputs; the captain applied pitch-up movements while the copilot, acting as Pilot Flying, applied pitch-down movements. During the final touchdown, the nose landing gear struck the runway with a high vertical speed of approximately 11.5 ft/s, causing the gear to break off due to loads exceeding the aircraft's ultimate design limits. The aircraft came to a stop on the runway with severe damage to the airframe.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of control inputs and the coordination between the crew members. Investigators analyzed flight data which revealed that the aircraft touched the ground three times within five seconds. The examination of the wreckage confirmed that the nose landing gear failed because it was subjected to a vertical load greater than the certification limits.
Investigators also reviewed the airline's training and operational procedures. They noted that the airline's manual lacked specific landing techniques and procedures for managing aircraft bounces. Furthermore, the investigation looked into the airline's process for designating the Pilot Flying, noting that the copilot was considered "inexperienced" according to the operator's own definitions.