What happened
On 29 March 2005, an Avro 146-RJ10 and registration G-CFAH was performing a passenger flight from Geneva to London (City) Airport. The flight crew was conducting a steep approach to Runway 10 under poor weather conditions, characterized by light rain and low cloud.
During the approach, the autopilot and autothrottle were initially engaged. At 400 ft, the commander took manual control of the aircraft. Shortly after the autothrottle was disconnected, the engine thrust was reduced, which led to a decay in airspeed. As the aircraft descended toward the runway, the rate of descent increased significantly. In an attempt to mitigate this high sink rate, the commander increased the aircraft's pitch attitude during the landing flare. This maneuver caused the rear underside of the fuselage to contact the runway surface, resulting in a tail scrape that damaged the protection strip.
The investigation
An AAIB field investigation examined the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder. The analysis established that while the approach was initially stable, the airspeed dropped from the target speed to below the required threshold at 125 ft. The investigation also reviewed the aircraft's flight history, noting a similar landing by the same crew earlier that day which had followed the correct profile.
Investigators also examined the manufacturer's guidelines regarding the risks of tail strikes during steep approaches. It was noted that the aircraft's geometry and the nature of the 5.5-degree glideslope at London City Airport create a narrow margin for error, where excessive pitch during a flare can easily exceed the safe body angle limit of 6.9 degrees.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was that the thrust set three seconds after the autothrottle disengagement was insufficient to maintain the required airspeed while the commander was attempting to maintain the glideslope.
- The pilot's attempt to reduce a high rate of descent by increasing the pitch during the flare caused the aircraft to exceed the safe contact angle.
- The aircraft sustained minor damage to the tail strike protection plate.
- There were no injuries to the 5 crew members or 104 passengers on board.