History of the Flight
On 16 July 2016, Germania flight GMI3700, an Airbus A-321-211 (registration D-ASTP), operated a scheduled passenger flight from Düsseldorf to Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, Spain. The aircraft made an ILS approach to runway 01 at Fuerteventura Airport. The crew reported a go-around to the tower controller, citing an unstabilized approach on short final and a bounced landing. The aircraft then flew a visual traffic pattern, landed on runway 01, and taxied to its assigned stand.
Post-Landing Decisions
The captain contacted the airline's maintenance operations center (MOC) in Germany to coordinate decisions regarding the aircraft following the hard landing. An external check of the aircraft revealed no anomalies. Due to the absence of maintenance support at Fuerteventura Airport and a misjudgment by the MOC regarding the hard landing report codes, the crew decided to operate the return flight to Düsseldorf with passengers. Flight GMI3701 departed at 09:58 UTC and landed without incident.
Damage and Repairs
In Düsseldorf, the aircraft was taken out of service (AOG). The first information about the event was received on 30 August 2016. By early November 2016, the seriousness of the damage was confirmed. The left main landing gear leg and its strut, along with the right leg strut, had to be replaced in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. The load factor during the landing was 3.32 g.
Analysis
The serious incident was caused by an unstabilized final approach resulting from a drop in speed and descent below the glide slope, combined with a late decision to perform a go-around. The maneuver was carried out without any automatic systems engaged to control the aircraft's attitude, trajectory, or thrust. The decision after the event to continue operating the aircraft with passengers was deemed risky and unsafe, stemming from an incorrect assessment of the hard landing's seriousness. The exchange of information between the captain and the MOC was fluid, but the MOC did not provide reliable data or valid criteria to aid decision-making. The suitability of keeping the aircraft in service was not evaluated in a timely manner.
Probable Cause
The incident was caused by the execution of an unstabilized final approach, caused by a drop in speed and descending below the glide path, and the late decision to perform a go-around. Contributing to the incident is the fact that the maneuver was performed without any automatic systems engaged to control the aircraft's attitude/trajectory or thrust.
Safety Recommendations
A safety recommendation was issued to the operator, Germania: REC 55/2017 recommends establishing a training program for MOC personnel to ensure they provide correct support for safe decisions at every aerodrome at all hours of operation.