History of the Flight
On 10 January 2011, an Airbus A300-B4-622R, registration TF-ELK, operated a scheduled cargo flight from Belfast to East Midlands Airport. The commander was the handling pilot, and a company engineer was onboard as a passenger. The flight initially proceeded without incident. The crew prepared for an ILS approach to Runway 09. Weather reported by ATC included surface wind from 170° at 22 kt, later updated to 160° at 20 kt gusting 30 kt, visibility 15 km, broken cloud at 1,500 ft, slight rain, wet runway, and temperature 7°C.
The FMS calculated approach speed (Vref) of 135 kt was increased by 9 kt to 144 kt (VAPP) for gusty conditions. The aircraft was configured for a full-flap landing. On passing about 1,000 ft, the co-pilot requested a wind check, given as 160° at 22 kt.
The commander began flaring at about 30 ft and closed the throttle control levers at about 20 ft. Considering the rate of descent excessive, he increased nose-up pitch. The aircraft touched down and bounced. After reducing pitch slightly, the aircraft touched down heavily a second time and bounced again. Neither pilot recalled selecting reverse thrust during the landing attempt.
After the second bounce, the commander decided to go around and commanded full thrust on both throttle control levers. The aircraft remained configured with full flaps and gear down. During the go-around, the No 2 (right) engine thrust reverser failed to stow, and FADEC maintained engine thrust at idle. The aircraft's tail struck the ground during rotation. The aircraft became airborne at low speed in a high drag configuration; acceleration and climb performance did not increase appreciably until 47 seconds after lift-off. The commander experienced considerable difficulty accelerating. He instructed the co-pilot to reduce flap setting to flap 20, after which the aircraft started to climb. Gear was raised, and flaps retracted fully.
The crew noticed an ECAM caution message showing 'ENG 2 REV UNLK'. The commander moved the No 2 throttle control lever and operated the thrust reverser lever to try to lock it, with no apparent effect. The crew completed ECAM and QRH checklists and shut down the No 2 engine. The aircraft diverted to Stansted Airport, where a single-engine landing was performed on Runway 22. After landing, reverse thrust was selected on the No 1 engine but was cancelled as it did not engage properly.
Recorded Information
The aircraft was fitted with a CVR and FDR; the CVR recording was of extremely poor quality and could not be used. The operator's FDM programme provided QAR data. The FDR recorded the aircraft touched down at 135 kt CAS and 138 kt groundspeed. The aircraft bounced, with a second, heavier touchdown at 1.8g. Between touchdowns, the No 1 engine throttle resolver angle reduced to 24.5°, and at the second touchdown, the No 2 engine throttle resolver angle reduced to 26°. A resolver angle below 32.4° deploys the thrust reverser; below 30° represents commanded reverse thrust above idle. The landing gear squat switches did not register 'on ground' for the first touchdown. One second after the second touchdown, both reversers became unlocked but did not achieve deployed position.
Damage to Aircraft
Upon inspection at Stansted, a tailstrike was noted. The tailskid shoe showed scraping consistent with runway contact. A 3 mm deep dent and local buckling of fuselage skin approximately 23 cm to the right of the tailskid shoe were found.
Background Information
The thrust reverser system on the A300 is electrically controlled, pneumatically driven, and mechanically actuated. The No 2 thrust reverser failure to stow was most likely due to an intermittent loose connection in the auto-restow circuit. Conflicting operational guidance existed regarding reverse thrust selection and go-around procedures.