What happened
On December 4, 2015, a Bombardier Q-400, registration VT-SUC, operated by Spice Jet Ltd., was performing a scheduled flight from Mumbai to Jabalpur. The flight, designated SG2458, proceeded without incident during the enroute phase. Upon arrival at Jabalpur, the crew requested a visual approach for runway 06. Weather conditions at the time included haze with visibility of approximately 5000 meters and calm surface winds.
At approximately 13:50 UTC, the aircraft touched down on runway 06. Within seconds of the landing roll, the aircraft encountered a group of wild boars on the runway. Due to the low light conditions at dawn, the crew did not observe the animals during the approach and only identified them once they were in close proximity, leaving insufficient time for evasive maneuvers.
One of the animals struck the left-hand main landing gear, causing the gear to collapse and forcing the aircraft to drift to the left. This impact resulted in the left-hand engine propeller blades contacting the ground and shearing off. As the aircraft continued its movement, it dragged along the surface for roughly 182 feet, during which the nose landing gear also failed. The aircraft eventually veered off the left side of the runway centerline and came to a stop on soft ground.
Following the excursion, the pilot confirmed there was no fire and initiated evacuation procedures. Emergency response teams, including the Crash Fire Tender unit, arrived at the site. All 49 passengers and 2 cabin crew were evacuated safely from the right side of the aircraft. There were 0 fatalities and **0 injuries reported.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was a wildlife strike involving multiple wild boars on the runway.
- Low visibility during the dawn approach prevented the crew from detecting the animals prior to touchdown.
- The impact with the wildlife directly led to the collapse of the left-hand main landing gear and subsequent engine damage.