What happened
An Airbus A300-600, registration TU-TAG, was conducting a scheduled international flight from Brazzaville, Gabon, to Johannesburg, South Africa. During the approach to Runway 03R, the co-pilot acted as the pilot-flying while the pilot-in-command managed radio communications and monitoring.
The aircraft descended using autopilot until approximately 550 feet above the ground, at which point the autopilot was disengaged. Although the autopilot was disconnected, the autothrust system remained active to manage the aircraft's airspeed. As the aircraft transitioned into the flare, the initial elevator inputs were minimal, gradually increasing as the plane approached the runway.
Upon touchdown, the aircraft experienced a bounce. In response to this, the pilot-flying applied a nose-down input, followed by a substantial nose-up command. This sequence caused a significant pitch-up motion, leading the aircraft to strike the runway again, this time with the tail making contact with the surface. A subsequent, less severe bounce followed the impact.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the flight crew's control inputs during the landing phase and the transition from automated to manual flight. Investigators examined the sequence of elevator movements and the engagement of the autothrust system during the flare and touchdown. The inquiry established that while the aircraft was being landed under standard scheduled operations, the manual handling of the aircraft during the bounce led to the structural contact.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was improper landing procedures executed by the pilot-flying.
- The pilot-flying's control inputs—specifically the large nose-up command following a nose-down input—resulted in an excessive pitch attitude.
- This excessive pitch-up directly caused the tailskid to impact the runway surface.