What happened
On March 1, 2008, at approximately 12:31 PM, an Airbus A320-211 was operating a flight from Munich to Hamburg. The flight was delayed by roughly 90 minutes due to the effects of Storm Emma. The aircraft was carrying 132 passengers and five crew members.
During the landing phase at Hamburg Airport, the aircraft encountered severe meteorological conditions. As the aircraft approached runway 33, it was subjected to intense wind activity. During the landing roll, the left wing of the aircraft made contact with the runway surface. There were no injuries to the passengers or crew, though the aircraft sustained minor damage.
The investigation
The BFU investigation focused on the aerodynamic behavior of the aircraft and the meteorological conditions at the time of the event. Investigators analyzed flight data recorder (FDR) information, cockpit voice recorder (CVR) transcripts, and airport wind measurements. The investigation specifically examined the aircraft's control laws and how the flight control system responded to the high-velocity gusts.
Technical reviews included an analysis of the aircraft's maximum demonstrated crosswind capabilities as defined in the Flight Manual (FM) and the airline's Operations Manual (OM/B). The investigation also looked at the accuracy of wind information provided to the crew via the Tower and ATIS, comparing reported values against anemometer readings from the runway thresholds.
Findings
- The primary cause of the wing strike was the extreme crosswind component and significant gusts present during the landing.
- Wind measurements at the runway thresholds indicated gusts reaching up to 50 knots, significantly impacting the aircraft's stability.
- The aircraft's flight control system (control laws) functioned as designed, but the intensity of the wind exceeded the stabilized landing conditions.
- There were discrepancies between the wind values transmitted to the crew and the actual wind speeds measured at the runway thresholds during the approach.