What happened
On November 5, 2018, at approximately 18:20 local time, a Boeing 737-401, registration YV-2928, operated by Avior Airlines, was performing an approach to runway 15 at Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima, Peru. The flight, arriving from Maiquetía, Venezuela, was carrying 121 passengers, two infants, and six crew members.
During the descent, air traffic control instructed the crew to maintain a maximum speed of Mach 0.7 before transitioning to the minimum approach speed (Vref 136 knots) upon establishing on the ILS localizer course. The crew configured the aircraft with landing gear down and Flaps 30°. After disconnecting the autopilot at 564 feet and checking the minimums for autothrottle disconnection, the crew reported a sudden loss of airspeed and a sharp increase in the rate of descent during the flare phase.
To compensate for this loss of speed, the crew increased the angle of attack by raising the nose. This maneuver caused the aircraft to bounce upon initial contact with the runway, subsequently resulting in the rear underside of the fuselage striking the pavement. The aircraft successfully exited the runway via taxiway Delta and parked at its assigned stand. All passengers and crew members were evacuated without injury.
The investigation
The CIAA dispatched investigators to the site to conduct field inquiries and interviewed the flight and cabin crews separately. The investigation involved coordination with the NTSB to interpret flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR) information. Additionally, the investigators requested the operator's Safety Management System (SMS) report and airworthiness maintenance records to evaluate the procedures applied during the event.
Findings
- The aircraft experienced a sudden loss of airspeed and an increased sink rate during the flare.
- The crew's attempt to correct the airspeed by increasing the angle of attack led to a bounce and a subsequent tail strike.
- The impact caused damage to the fuselage, rendering the aircraft inoperable.