What happened
On 8 February 2001, an Airbus A321-200, registration F-GTAA, was performing a scheduled public transport flight from Paris Charles de Gaulle to London Heathrow. During the final approach to runway 09L, the aircraft encountered a sudden loss of airspeed of approximately 10 to 15 knots as it descended below 200 feet. In an attempt to maintain the target approach speed, the crew increased engine thrust.
As the aircraft descended to approximately 100 feet, the left wing dropped unexpectedly. The pilot responded with manual sidestick and rudder inputs, which triggered a series of three divergent roll oscillations. During the third cycle, the left wingtip (winglet) made contact with the runway surface just as the left main landing gear touched down. The commander immediately initiated a go-around, and the aircraft climbed away safely. During the subsequent second approach, the crew noted damage to the winglet, which had been bent and split. The aircraft landed again without further incident, and there were no injuries to the 8 crew members or 4 and 44 passengers on board.
The investigation
The investigation examined flight recorder data and anemometer readings to understand the aerodynamic behavior of the aircraft. Analysis of the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) revealed that the roll oscillations were linked to the cyclic application of both rudder and lateral sidestick inputs.
Investigators also reviewed wind conditions at the time of the incident. While no windshear had been officially reported, data showed a significant reduction in wind speed—dropping from 20 knots over the threshold to 10 knots at the surface. The presence of multi-storey buildings near the runway threshold was identified as a potential source of vertical wind shear and turbulence.
Findings
- The primary cause of the wingtip strike was a pilot-induced oscillation caused by the manual application of control inputs that became out of phase with the aircraft's natural flight control response.
- The oscillation was exacerbated by the use of cyclic rudder inputs, which produced a powerful rolling moment on the swept-wing aircraft.
- A sudden reduction in wind speed during the final stages of the approach contributed to the initial loss of airspeed and the subsequent need for corrective action.
- The aircraft's fly-by-wire system, operating in Normal Law, provides roll stabilization, but the rapid, manual corrective inputs from the pilot occurred faster than the system's ability to counteract them.