What happened
A commercial transport flight, operated by a crew of two, departed Venice, Italy, at 0LE 08:17, carrying one passenger. During the flight to Le Bourget, France, the crew monitored weather reports and discussed potential snow and runway contamination. While the crew had calculated approach speeds based on non-icing conditions, they noted that severe icing was expected between 3,000 ft and 5,000 ft. As the aircraft descended through 3,000 ft, the captain activated the wing anti-ice system and observed ice breaking away from the airframe.
During the final approach to runway 27, the aircraft was flying with flaps in the full configuration and landing gear extended. At approximately 10:00, while descending through 1,380 ft, the captain deactivated the engine anti-icing system. As the aircraft approached the decision height of 200 ft, the captain noted the plane was high on the glide path. Shortly after passing 50 ft on the radio altimeter, the aircraft experienced a significant increase in the angle of attack and a drop in airspeed. The aircraft entered a stall during short final, leading to a hard touchdown on the runway.
Following the impact, a fire ignited beneath the fuselage near the wing roots. The aircraft slid 1,050 metres along the runway before coming to a halt at the left edge of the runway. All occupants, including the two crew members and one passenger, evacuated the aircraft without injury.
Findings
- The crew had calculated approach speeds (VRef 97 kt, VAC 102 kt, and VFS 121 kt) suitable for non-icing conditions despite reports of severe icing in the descent phase.
- The stall occurred during the final moments of the approach, characterized by a rapid increase in the angle of attack and a decrease in airspeed.