What happened
On April 29, 2023, a Wizz Air Abu Dhabi Airbus A321-271NX, registration A6-WZG, was completing a scheduled flight from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Abu Dhabi International Airport. During the landing phase, the aircraft encountered gusty wind conditions. As the aircraft touched down, the main landing gear remained in contact with the runway for approximately 17 seconds while the nose gear remained airborne.
During this period, the aircraft experienced fluctuations in heading and drift. The flight crew subsequently initiated a go-around maneuver. During the transition from touchdown to liftoff, the aircraft's pitch increased significantly, resulting in a tail strike that lasted for approximately three seconds before the aircraft successfully climbed away.
The investigation
The UAE Air Accident Investigation Sector (AAIS) conducted an investigation into the incident, involving coordination with the French BEA and the US NTSB. Investigators analyzed flight data, including the cockpit voice and data recorder, to reconstruct the sequence of events. The inquiry focused on the flight crew's performance, the aircraft's pitch attitude relative to its ground clearance limits, and the impact of meteorological conditions on the landing stability.
Findings
- The primary cause of the tail strike was the improper application of high pitch control while initiating the go-around at a low airspeed.
- The commander mistakenly believed the aircraft had excess energy and decided to commence the go-around without verifying that the airspeed was actually low.
- The flight crew experienced a breakdown in Crew Resource Management (CRM), characterized by a lack of clear communication; specifically, the copilot failed to announce the initiation of the go-around, and the commander's subsequent takeover of control was not properly coordinated.
- The copilot's use of rudder inputs caused the aircraft to drift from the runway centerline.
- There was a lack of situational awareness regarding thrust settings, as the commander did not notice the copilot moving the thrust levers into the reverse position, and the crew missed critical radio altimeter and auto-callout information.
- Gusty wind conditions contributed to the unstable approach and landing.
Safety action
The AAIS issued three safety recommendations to the operator:
- Integrate specific training for go-around techniques during low-energy rejected landings near the ground into the flight crew training program, utilizing flight simulators.
- Reinforce the importance of the pilot monitoring role, specifically regarding the necessity of observing and communicating all relevant callouts.
- Strengthen CRM requirements and implement more rigorous identification of CRM deficiencies during pilot proficiency checks to improve overall crew coordination.