What happened
On 12 February 2014, a DHC-8-402 Dash 8, registration G-JECJ, was conducting a scheduled passenger flight from Birmingham to Belfast City. The flight was operating at night under challenging weather conditions, characterized by strong west-south-westerly winds gusting as high as 48 knots.
Prior to the approach, the commander, who was flying the aircraft manually after disconnecting the autopilot, verified that his prosthetic lower left arm was securely fastened to the yoke clamp. Despite reports of gusts exceeding the aircraft's crosswind limits, the final air traffic control report indicated winds were within acceptable parameters, allowing the approach to proceed.
During the landing flare, while the engines were still producing more than flight idle torque, the prosthetic limb became disconnected from the yoke clamp. This sudden loss of control forced the pilot to react immediately. To regain manual control of the aircraft, the pilot moved his right hand from the power levers to the yoke. Due to the continued application of power and the impact of wind gusts, the aircraft bounced following the initial touchdown, resulting in a heavy landing.
There were no injuries to the 47 passengers or 4 crew members on board, and no damage to the aircraft was reported.
Findings
- The commander's prosthetic arm became detached from the yoke clamp during the flare maneuver.
- The pilot's attempt to regain control by moving his right hand from the power levers to the yoke left the engines at a higher power setting than ideal for a stabilized touchdown.
- The heavy landing was caused by the combination of the loss of control, the power setting, and wind gusts during the bounce.