Aircraft Accident During Descent in Marginal Weather (AP-BHJ)

Incident Overview and Immediate Aftermath An aircraft arriving from Islamabad began its descent to runway 36R under marginal weather conditions. Upon touching down on a wet runway, the right main landing gear collapsed. The aircraft slid for approximately 1,700 feet before exiting the runway to the right and coming to rest an additional 60 feet further on. All 46 occupants on board were unhurt, while the aircraft was assessed as damaged beyond repair. ## Weather Conditions and Briefings Five minutes after the accident, the weather briefing reported: OPLA 311015Z 16009KT 3000 RA BKN040 OVC100 29/24 Q1003. Ten minutes prior to the crash, the briefing was: OPLA 311000Z 33008KT 4000 -RA SCT040 BKN100 32/24 Q1002 TEMPO 31030KT 2000 TSRA FEW030CB. These conditions were considered marginal, with turbulence, winds up to 30 knots, and cumulonimbus clouds at 3,000 feet. ## Investigation Findings On 11 September 2012, the French BEA reported that the aircraft touched down at the beginning of the paved surface, in the undershoot area, to the right of the extended runway 36R centerline, which caused the right main gear to collapse. The investigation also reported that the aircraft was unstable on short final and that the crew failed to initiate a go-around procedure while the aircraft was too low on the glide path.