What happened
On 23 December 2011, an Airbus A321-211, registration OE-LBF, was conducting a scheduled passenger flight from Innsbruck to Manchester. During the approach to Runway 23R, the crew encountered significant turbulence and a crosswind of approximately 40 knots, despite the official airport report indicating much lighter conditions.
As the aircraft descended through 1,500 feet, the co-pilot disengaged the autothrust and later the autopilot due to the increasing difficulty of maintaining control. At approximately 100 feet, the crew initiated a go-around. During the maneuver, the thrust levers were moved to the idle position, and the engines were subsequently advanced to takeoff power. However, a lag in engine acceleration, combined with a sudden change in wind direction, caused the aircraft to sink. The tail of the aircraft struck the runway, resulting in skin damage to the aft lower fuselage. There were no injuries to the 182 passengers or 6 crew members on board.
The investigation
The investigation examined flight data recorder information, occurrence reports, and manufacturer feedback. Analysis of the flight data revealed that the co-pilot had applied significant sidestick commands to manage the aircraft's stability. The investigation also focused on the wind conditions, noting that while the approach began with a 4 kt tailwind, the wind shifted to an 8 kt headwind at approximately 200 feet, before reverting to a tailwind near the ground.
Findings
- The tail strike was caused by a loss of energy resulting from the combination of changing environmental wind conditions and the slow acceleration of the engines from a near-idle state.
- The crew's perception of a severe downdraft was likely influenced by the sudden shift in relative wind.
- The aircraft's pitch attitude during the go-around was approximately 10 degrees, which, when combined with compressed landing gear struts, placed the fuselage in a position susceptible to ground contact.
- The engine acceleration lag prevented the aircraft from maintaining sufficient altitude during the critical transition to go-around power.