What happened
On 24 January 2012, a Swiftair McDonnell Douglas MD-83, registered EC-JJS, was operating a scheduled flight from Dubai to Kandahar. The flight, which was part of an ACMI arrangement for Gryphon Airlines, carried 86 passengers and 5 crew members. After departing Dubai, the aircraft was cleared by Kabul and Kandahar controllers for an RNAV (GPS) approach to runway 05.
As the aircraft approached the destination, the crew encountered instrument meteorological conditions. Upon reaching the final approach course, the crew noted they were positioned to the right of the runway centerline. Because the captain possessed greater experience at this specific airport, he took control of the aircraft to complete the final phase of the approach. At the time, the PAPI was non-operational, leaving the crew with limited vertical visual references.
During the landing phase, the crew attempted to correct their lateral deviation by maneuvering from right to left. As the aircraft entered the flare, the crew observed the plane drifting toward the left side of the runway. In an attempt to counteract this movement, the captain applied a right roll angle. This maneuver resulted in the right wing tip making contact with the ground approximately 20 meters before the runway threshold, destroying five threshold lights and causing damage to the aircraft. There were 0 fatalities and no reported injuries among the passengers or crew.
Findings
- The aircraft's right wing tip struck the ground during the flare phase of the landing.
- The crew's attempt to correct a lateral deviation via a right roll angle directly led to the wing strike.
- The lack of functional PAPI lighting limited the crew's ability to maintain precise glide path references during the approach.