History of the Flight
The first officer, with 219 hours on type, was the handling pilot for a public transport flight from Farnborough to RAF Northolt to pick up passengers. Weather at Northolt was not significant, with variable wind at 3 kt, a few clouds at 2,200 feet, and visibility greater than 10 km. The crew planned a PAR approach for controller training and received radar vectors for Runway 25. The commander calculated the threshold speed as 117 kt. The final descent from 1,800 feet followed the 3.5° glidepath.
RT recordings showed the aircraft maintained the correct glidepath until about 1.5 miles from touchdown, when it drifted slightly below and then above the glidepath. Touchdown occurred approximately 23 seconds later.
During the flare at about 7 feet agl, the stick shaker activated, the left wing dropped rapidly, and the aircraft landed heavily on the left main landing gear. ATC personnel observed a pronounced bounce. No damage to the runway surface was found.
Post-flight inspection by the commander and a type-rated engineer revealed minor damage to the underside of the left wing tip and the outer edge of the left flap. The left main landing gear appeared undamaged. The commander completed a functional check of flaps and flight controls, then decided to fly the aircraft back to Farnborough without passengers. The return flight was uneventful.
Engineering Examination
Structure
Examination showed the left wing and aileron had light tip scrape abrasion through the lower skin at the aft closing plate. The left flap had slight abrasion, upward bending of the outboard aft trailing edge corner, and local structural failure. The abrasion angle on the trailing edge strip was about 40° to the flap underside.
The left main landing gear showed evidence of recent severe compression, almost bottoming out, with the lower oleo seal within 0.75 inch of maximum travel. Both oleo legs indicated a single recent compression to within 2.25 inches of maximum; the right gear's largest recent compression. The left gear had more play in its sidestay, though not necessarily attributed to this landing. No significant airframe distortion was found in the subsequent heavy landing check.
Instrument and Stall Warning Calibration
Calibration of all three airspeed indicators over 80-140 kt was within tolerances and matched the FDR trace. The FO's instrument over-read by about 1-2 kt compared to the commander's. Stall sensing and warning systems were within limits at all flap settings. The right vane triggered at a slightly lower incidence than the left.
Touchdown Geometry
Analysis of scraping damage indicated a left roll attitude of at least 7.6°. The FDR recorded no roll angle above 5.5°, suggesting the greater angle was brief. The left oleo travel indicated a hard touchdown with substantial left roll.
Airfield Details
Runway 25 at RAF Northolt is 1,684 m long, 46 m wide, asphalt, essentially level. It has high intensity approach lighting, PAPIs set to 3.5°, and a touchdown point 700 feet from the threshold. The approach was normal except for a slightly steeper angle.
Aircraft Operation
The landing weight was 22,608 lbs; certified VAT was 124 kt, but the commander used 117 kt. This was not cross-checked by the FO. Certified stall speed with gear down and flaps 45° is 98 kt. FDR airspeed just before touchdown was 101 kt, with pressure error correction of +5 kt, giving CAS of 106 kt. During flare, normal acceleration was about 1.15 g, increasing stall speed to about 105 kt. Considering scatter in test data, it is concluded that the aircraft stalled just before touchdown.
Follow-up Actions
The company clarified SOPs for crew cross-checking: the non-handling pilot now calculates aircraft weight and VAT, checked by the handling pilot. Enhanced procedures ensure all accountable managers are involved in decisions to return after incidents.