Incident Sequence
On a scheduled domestic flight from Barcelona to Bilbao, Iberia flight IB1456 carried 136 passengers and 7 crew members. The approach to runway 30 at Bilbao Airport occurred at night under visual meteorological conditions, with a southwesterly wind of 10 knots gusting to 25 knots. Visibility exceeded 10 km, and scattered clouds were present above 5,600 feet. The aircraft was operating under IFR rules, and all airport aids were operational.
During the final approach, the crew encountered a small cumulus cloud with strong turbulence at about 25 NM from the airport at 7,500 feet. Descending through 6,000 feet on the localizer, winds of 55 knots were reported. The tower cleared the aircraft to land and advised decision height 247 feet. One minute before touchdown, the tower reported wind 240° at 8 knots. The approach speed was 142 knots, reference speed 132 knots, with flaps full and weight 62,380 kg. Autopilot was disengaged at 400 feet.
In the final seconds, the vertical descent rate reached approximately 1,200 feet per minute, triggering the GPWS 'sink rate' warning twice. Both pilots applied pitch-up inputs on their sidesticks, but the aircraft did not respond due to the design logic of the angle of attack protection system. A 'dual-input' warning sounded. The captain then selected TOGA power to abort the landing, but the aircraft made a hard touchdown in a slight nose-down attitude. The captain continued the landing and brought the aircraft to a stop after 1,100 meters, with the nose landing gear collapsed, all four main tires burst, and engine nacelles scraping the pavement. The aircraft came to rest at a 60° angle to the runway centerline.
Evacuation and Injuries
The captain ordered evacuation using all exits and slides. During evacuation, one cabin crew member and 24 passengers sustained injuries; all were minor except one female passenger whose injuries were serious. Seven injured individuals were taken to hospital.
Official Findings
The probable cause, as stated by the official investigation, was the activation of the angle of attack protection system. Under a particular combination of vertical gusts and windshear and the simultaneous actions of both crew members on the sidesticks, not considered in the design, the system prevented the aircraft from pitching up and flaring during the landing.