What happened
On the afternoon of 1 November 2007, a Boeing 737-200, registration PK-RIL, was operating a scheduled passenger flight from Jakarta to Malang, East Java. During the final stages of the approach to runway 35, the flight crew realized the aircraft was significantly above the desired glide path. In an attempt to intercept the precision approach path indicator (PAPI) lights, the pilot in command increased the aircraft's rate of descent.
Heavy rain was falling at the time of arrival. The high rate of descent was not corrected, leading to a severe hard landing. The impact caused the lower drag strut of the nose landing gear to fracture, resulting in the collapse of the nose gear and the separation of the wheel assembly. The aircraft bounced twice before coming to a rest on the runway. While the aircraft suffered substantial structural damage, there were no injuries among the 9 4 persons on board.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the flight crew's management of the approach and their response to automated warnings. Analysis of the flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR) revealed that the aircraft's descent rate exceeded 1,000 feet per minute, creating an unstabilized approach condition. Furthermore, the investigation established that the pilot in command failed to respond appropriately to the Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) aural alerts triggered by the high sink rate.
Investigators also examined the crew's decision-making following the initial impact. Although the aircraft bounced to a height of approximately 20 feet, the crew did not initiate a go-around to recover from the high bounce.
Findings
- The flight crew lacked situational awareness regarding their position relative to the approach path until visual cues from the PAPI were visible.
- Non-adherence to stabilized approach procedures was the primary factor leading to the hard landing.
- The crew failed to execute a go-around after the aircraft became unstabilized and after the initial high-energy bounce.