What happened
On 28 January 2002, a Bombardier Canadair CL600-2B19, registration G-MSKP, was conducting a public transport flight into Birmingham Airport. During the approach to Runway 33, the crew was managing significant turbulence and shifting wind conditions. While the crew had initially planned for a specific approach speed, the commander opted to fly at a higher speed to account for the moderate turbulence.
As the aircraft neared the ground, the commander used rudder and lateral controls to align the aircraft with the runway centerline. However, just before touchdown, the aircraft experienced a rapid roll to the left. The pilot applied full left lateral control to correct the movement, but the left wing tip likely made contact with the runway surface. Following the landing, an inspection by a line engineer revealed damage to the forward lower surface of the left wing tip fairing, which included an abrasion and a small hole.
There were no fatalities and no injuries to the 47 passengers or 4 crew members on board.
The investigation
The AAIB investigation examined flight recorder data, including the FDR and CVR, to reconstruct the landing sequence. The investigation established that while the aircraft was stable on the approach, the wind conditions were highly dynamic. Data from the FDR confirmed that the aircraft's roll attitude reached approximately 9.3 degrees left wing down at the moment of potential wing contact.
The investigation also scrutinized the meteorological reporting at Birmingham Airport. It was found that the semi-automated met observing system (SAMOS) had generated several rapid ATIS updates due to changes in the surface wind. These updates occurred because the system triggered new information when gust speeds increased and when the mean wind speed caught up to the gust value. The flight crew was not aware of the most recent wind updates provided by the tower during the final stages of the approach.
Findings
- The primary cause of the wing tip contact was a sudden roll to the right, which was almost certainly triggered by strong crosswinds that had exceeded the aircraft's published limits.
- The flight crew was unaware of the most recent surface wind updates due to frequent ATIS changes.
- The rapid generation of ATIS updates was driven by the way the automated system processed changes in mean and gust wind speeds.
- The aircraft's wing tip fairing sustained localized abrasion and a small hole upon contact with the runway.