Flight Background
On the morning of 9 December 1993, Crossair flight CRX 922 was scheduled from Basel to Florence but was diverted to Bern due to operational issues and dense fog in Lugano. The crew was informed 50 minutes before departure. The flight departed Basel at 0730 UTC with three crew members and three passengers aboard. The Pilot in Command (PIC) was the flying pilot; the copilot was the assisting pilot.
Approach and Landing
The aircraft received ATIS information indicating runway 32 initially, but air traffic control later advised runway 14. The crew briefed for an ILS approach to runway 14 followed by a circling approach to runway 32, but then received clearance for a direct landing on runway 14. Below 4000 feet, strong turbulence was encountered, causing airspeed fluctuations of ±5–10 knots and heading variations between 150° and 160°. The copilot managed the power levers to maintain Vref +10 knots. At about 200 feet above ground, the PIC retook control. At 150 feet, a GPWS 'sink rate' warning activated. During the flare, a wind gust induced a brief 11.6° right bank. The aircraft touched down approximately 200 meters past the runway threshold at about 110 knots, with a slight right sideslip.
Runway Excursion and Damage
After touchdown, the aircraft rolled about 600 meters and exited the left side of the runway near taxiway C, damaging some runway lights and striking a marking board with the right propeller. It then returned to the runway near threshold 32, exited again, crossed a perpendicular road at greatly reduced speed, and came to a stop 53 meters beyond the runway end on soft ground. No injuries occurred. The aircraft sustained damage to both propellers, the nose gear, the forward fuselage (frame 4), and the landing flaps. Third-party damage included one runway light and one marking board.
Causes
The accident was attributed to: an unstabilized flare during landing caused by a wind gust; the PIC's indecision to delay the landing; and hesitation and inadequate maneuvering by the PIC when decelerating the aircraft after touchdown in strong crosswind.