What happened
On 25 May 2007, an Indonesia AirAsia Boeing 737-300, registered PK-AWP, was performing a scheduled passenger service from Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport to Polonia International Airport in Medan. The flight, carrying 129 passengers and five crew members, proceeded without incident until the final approach phase. During the descent, the Pilot in Command observed that the aircraft's approach speed was excessively high. At an altitude of 500 feet, the pilot took manual control to complete the landing.
While the pilot perceived the touchdown as a positive event, the aircraft subsequently exited the runway via taxiway B. During the taxi process, the crew noted vibrations originating from the nose wheel steering. Although the passengers disembarked without incident and there were no injuries, a post-flight inspection revealed significant mechanical issues. The inspection uncovered 14 detached tie bolts on the left nose wheel, with one bolt missing entirely, and a deflated left nose wheel tire. Furthermore, the aircraft sustained structural damage, including wrinkled fuselage skin above the nose wheel and damage to the left main landing gear axle and bearing.
The investigation
Investigators analyzed Flight Data Recorder (FDR) information to reconstruct the landing parameters. The data revealed that the aircraft touched down at an indicated airspeed of 190 knots, significantly exceeding the target landing speed of approximately 130 knots. The FDR also recorded a vertical acceleration of 4.8 g during the impact. The investigation focused on the discrepancy between the observed high speed and the required stabilized approach parameters.
Findings
- The primary cause of the structural damage was an unstable approach characterized by excessive airspeed.
- The aircraft's touchdown speed was approximately 60 knots above the intended target.
- The high-speed impact resulted in the detachment of multiple nose wheel tie bolts and deformation of the fuselage skin.
- Mechanical damage extended to the left main landing gear assembly, specifically affecting the axle and bearing.