Incident
Kato Airline flight KAT603, a Dornier 228-202 registered LN-HTA, operated a scheduled flight from Røst Airport (ENRS) to Bodø Airport (ENBO) with two passengers and two pilots on board. During the approach to Bodø, strong westerly winds were present and extensive lightning activity developed quickly. The aircraft was struck by a very powerful lightning bolt that hit the nose area and exited through the tail. The lightning burned off bondings between the fuselage, tail surface, and a wire between the tail surface and the elevator. A powerful electric energy passed through the elevator rod in the tail section, causing a rod end to come loose and a breach in the control rod. This severed the only connection between the cockpit control column and the elevator. The aircraft type has an electric pitch trim that adjusts the tail surface angle of attack; after a period, the pilots regained limited control of the aircraft's nose position using this system.
The lightning blinded the pilots for approximately 30 seconds. They lost control of the aircraft for a period, and the aircraft came very close to stalling. The pilots declared an emergency. The remaining aircraft systems were intact, and the pilots successfully guided the plane for a landing attempt. During the first landing, airspeed was somewhat high, and the aircraft hit the ground in an approximate three-point position, bouncing into the air. The pilots determined that the landing was uncontrollable because the elevator was not working, so they aborted and circled for another attempt.
Wind conditions were difficult, and the second approach was also unstable in terms of height and speed. On short final, the aircraft nosed down, and the pilots barely managed to flare slightly before impact. The point of impact was a few meters before the runway, and the aircraft slid onto the runway. Emergency services arrived quickly. The two pilots were seriously injured, while both passengers suffered only minor physical injuries. No fuel leakage or fire occurred. The aircraft was written off.
Investigation
The official investigation identified several significant findings:
- The air traffic control service lacked equipment for integrated weather presentation on the radar display.
- The aircraft's weather radar did not indicate precipitation cells and was therefore not functioning correctly.
- Up to 30% of the wires on individual bondings between the fuselage, horizontal stabilizer, and elevator may have been broken before the lightning struck.
- The aircraft was hit by lightning containing a very large amount of energy. The aircraft's bondings were unable to conduct the electric energy, and the transfer rod from the cockpit to the elevator was broken.
- As a result of the reduced control of the aircraft's pitch and difficult wind conditions, the sink rate was not sufficiently stabilized on short final. The crew were unable to prevent the aircraft from hitting the ground.