What happened
On a domestic flight from Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport to Biarritz, an Air France Boeing 737-228 encountered challenging weather conditions during its approach. While the crew initially observed moderate visibility and winds, the weather deteriorated significantly as the aircraft descended. During the final minutes of the approach, the flight experienced heavy rain and shifting winds, with gusts reaching up to 30 knots.
As the aircraft descended through 1200 feet, the first officer disconnected the autopilot and autothrottle. While established on the ILS approach for runway 27, the aircraft began to drift left of the runway centerline. Although the crew attempted to correct the alignment, the aircraft passed the runway threshold approximately 4 meters to the right of the centerline while maintaining a slight bank to the left.
Upon touchdown, the left main gear contacted the runway first at 148 knots, 12 meters from the centerline. The aircraft then drifted further left, causing the left main gear to bear the weight of the plane for approximately two seconds. Despite efforts by the pilot flying to steer the aircraft back to the right using the rudder and control column, the right main gear touched down near the edge of the runway. The aircraft subsequently exited the runway surface on the left at a speed of 133 knots. During the excursion, the nose gear struck a concrete light support, causing it to break. The aircraft traveled approximately 400 meters off the runway, eventually coming to a stop 1150 meters from the threshold. There were 0 fatalities and no injuries reported.
Findings
- The approach was conducted in heavy rain with significant wind gusts.
- The aircraft experienced a gradual deviation from the runway centerline during the final approach phase.