Incident Overview
On April 4, 2019, at approximately 08:56 UTC (10:56 local time), a Bombardier DHC-8-402 motorized aircraft with registration A-6020 experienced an accident while landing at Innsbruck Airport (LOWI) in Austria. The flight was a scheduled instrument flight rules (IFR) service operated by an Austrian airline, originating from Vienna Airport (LOWW). During the final approach and landing phase on Runway 08, the aircraft achieved an excessive pitch angle, resulting in a tailstrike that damaged the rear of the fuselage.
Operational Context and Weather Conditions
The flight crew consisted of a First Officer acting as Pilot Flying and a Captain serving as Pilot Monitoring. Prior to departure from Vienna, the crew identified clear föhn wind conditions at the destination. Although windshear was not explicitly forecasted, the decision was made for the First Officer to conduct the landing. The crew had pre-programmed waypoints in the Flight Management System (FMS) for the visual segment of the specific föhn approach procedure along the northern mountain range.
Investigation and Findings
The Federal Safety Investigation Office initiated an investigation under EU Regulation 996/2010 after being notified by the operator at approximately 11:20 UTC on the day of the accident. The investigation focused on human factors, crew resource management, and the handling of the specific weather situation in Innsbruck. Data from the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) was analyzed to reconstruct the flight path and confirm the pitch excursion during landing. The report notes that while no injuries were detailed in the provided excerpt, the primary physical damage was confined to the aircraft's tail section due to the contact with the runway surface.