What happened
During the final approach phase, the flight crew of the aircraft intended to perform a full-stop landing. After communicating with the tower controller, the crew was instructed to extend their downwind leg and wait for a base turn call. The controller identified preceding traffic on final approach, specifically an Airbus A300-600 heavy. The crew confirmed they had the preceding aircraft in sight and received clearance to land behind it, with instructions to remain cautious of wake turbulence.
In preparation for the approach, the crew coordinated procedures to avoid wake encounters, which included planning a steeper descent and a touchdown point further down the runway than the preceding aircraft. As an extra precaution, the crew increased their Vref speed by 10 to 15 knots. While monitoring the preceding Airbus, the crew noted tire smoke upon its touchdown and estimated the heavy aircraft had vacated the runway by the time their own aircraft was approximately 1,000 feet from the threshold and 200 feet above ground level.
As the aircraft reached 150 feet above ground level while established on the runway centerline, it suffered an uncommanded left roll accompanied by a nose drop and heavy buffeting. The pilot applied full power and attempted to manually level the wings and recover the pitch. Despite these efforts, the right main gear impacted the ground short of the runway threshold and to the left of the centerline. The aircraft subsequently struck a drainage ditch and a dirt service road, resulting in the collapse of both the nose and right main landing gear.
Findings
- A study of the wake vortices indicated that the aircraft encountered the right vortex generated by the preceding Airbus A300-600.
- The observed leftward roll of the aircraft was consistent with the counter-clockwise rotation characteristic of a right-side wake vortex.