Serious Incident Involving Fairchild SA 227-AC SX-BKZ at Athens International Airport

Incident Overview and History of Flight On Friday, December 13, 2019, a Fairchild SA 227-AC (Metro III) aircraft with registration SX-BKZ, operated by Swiftair Hellas, departed from Thessaloniki Macedonia Airport for Athens International Airport (LGAV). The aircraft, which was carrying 969 kg of cargo and a crew of two, landed on runway 21R at 17:35 UTC. During the exit from the runway via high-speed taxi link A6, the nose wheel steering turned sharply to the left without any action from the commander. The pilot immobilized the aircraft, causing the left main landing gear and nose gear to exit the taxiway onto soft ground, while the right main gear remained on the hard surface. The crew performed a normal shutdown, notified air traffic control, and evacuated the aircraft without injuries. The aircraft was subsequently towed to parking bay F01. ## Aircraft and Personnel Details The aircraft, manufactured in the USA, had a maximum take-off weight of 16,000 lbs (7,200 kg) and was equipped with a Universal Avionics CVR-120 and a Fairchild F-800 DFDR. Both recorders were sent to the Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses (BEA) for analysis, though the results did not contribute to the investigation. The commander held an ATPL with 2,736 total flight hours, while the first officer held an ATPL with 2,435 total flight hours. No cabin crew or passengers were on board. ## Investigation and Findings The investigation was conducted by the Air Accident Investigation and Aviation Safety Board (AAIASB) in accordance with Annex 13 of the Chicago Convention, EU Regulation 996/2010, and Law 2912/2001. The primary purpose of the investigation was to prevent future accidents and incidents, not to attribute blame or liability. Following the incident, the nose wheel steering was thoroughly inspected without findings, and the nose landing gear assembly was precautionarily replaced. A hard landing check was also performed on the aircraft. No other damages were reported, and the runway surface was dry at the time of the incident.