What happened
On December 22, 1969, at approximately 21:34 UTC, a Vickers Viscount 815, registration LX-LGC, was performing an ILS approach to runway 24 at Luxembourg Airport. The flight had arrived from Frankfurt under challenging meteorological conditions, including freezing drizzle, low cloud ceilings of 80 meters, and approximately 800 meters of visibility.
As the aircraft approached the runway threshold, the pilot noted a tendency for the plane to drift to the right following a reduction in power. Upon impacting the ground at a height of approximately 50 to 80 feet, the commander initiated a go-around procedure (referred to by the crew as an "overshoot"). During this maneuver, the aircraft's nose pitched down, and the plane failed to maintain altitude.
The left main landing gear struck the ground 992 meters behind the runway threshold, specifically on the far right edge of the pavement. The aircraft then veered off the runway into a snow-covered area, traveling approximately 240 meters parallel to the runway in a crabbed configuration. During the excursion, the aircraft struck several runway lights, and the nose gear eventually collapsed. The aircraft finally came to a stop at the intersection of the taxiway, having passed through a mound of icy snow.
All 22 passengers and the crew were evacuated via emergency slides. No injuries were reported among the occupants.
The investigation
The AET examined the flight crew's actions, the aircraft's mechanical state, and the environmental conditions. Investigators reviewed air-ground communications, which revealed a momentary period of confusion when the pilot reported, "we crashed," due to poor radio reception quality.
The investigation also analyzed the technical sequence of the go-around. While the crew attempted to correct the flight path, the sudden application of power and the resulting pitch-down moment—combined with the lack of coordination between the commander and the first officer during the critical seconds of the maneuver—contributed to the loss of control.
Findings
- The primary cause was a mismanaged go-around procedure (wave-off) at a very low altitude, which led to an uncontrolled descent.
- A lack of coordination between the commander and the first officer during the execution of the power increase contributed to the aircraft's inability to maintain altitude.
- Adverse environmental conditions, including freezing drizzle, 800m visibility, and a slippery runway surface covered in patches of snow and ice, made the landing highly unstable.
- The pilot's decision to initiate the maneuver at such a low altitude (50–80 feet) left insufficient margin for error when the aircraft's nose pitched down.
- The aircraft sustained damage to the nose gear, engine number 2 and 3 propeller tips, and several runway lights.