What happened
An air taxi flight was conducting an IFR approach from Oslo to Aarhus under conditions of low visibility and fog patches. During the descent, the flight crew monitored weather reports from Aarhus Tower, noting a meteorological visibility of 250 meters and varying Runway Visual Range (RVR) values. The crew established an ILS approach for runway 10R, with the pilot flying managing the descent and the pilot monitoring handling communications and checklists.
As the aircraft approached the runway, the pilot flying intended to touch down at the threshold to avoid fog patches on the runway roll. This specific plan, which involved flying one dot below the glide slope, was not communicated to the pilot monitoring. During the final stages of the approach, the aircraft descended below the glide slope. The pilot monitoring did not provide callouts regarding the deviation from the glide slope.
At approximately 50 and 900 feet radio height, the aircraft was established on the ILS in landing configuration. As the pilot flying initiated the flare, the aircraft struck the antenna mast system for the runway 28L localizer. Following this impact, the aircraft touched down in the runway end safety area (RESA) for runway 28L, where the nose landing gear struck a near-field antenna and collapsed. The aircraft came to a stop on runway 10R. Following the impact, a fire broke out, and the cabin crew initiated an evacuation of the zero fatalities and passengers.
Findings
- The pilot flying's intention to fly below the glide slope to avoid fog was not shared with the pilot monitoring.
- The pilot monitoring failed to provide necessary altitude or glide slope deviation callouts during the approach.
- The aircraft struck an antenna mast during the landing sequence, leading to the collapse of the nose landing gear.