Flight and Approach
The Cessna C-550 Citation II, registration HB-VIT, operated a private IFR flight from Nice to Lugano-Agno with three passengers and two pilots, the copilot handling the controls. The crew obtained the Lugano ATIS about one hour before departure, reporting variable wind 5 kt, visibility 6 km, rain, and cloud layers between 800 and 3500 ft AGL. During the LOC/DME approach to Runway 03, the tower cleared the aircraft to land but advised that two Crossair crews had reported strong wind shear at 3000 ft QNH. The aircraft encountered wind shear during the approach, but conditions stabilized in the final phase.
Landing and Accident
The aircraft touched down 50–100 m past the threshold at an increased speed (Vref+10 kt). The copilot selected reverse thrust, but the aircraft bounced twice, impacting the runway hard on the nose wheel. The nose gear collapsed under the load, and the main gear and wing structure also sustained damage. The aircraft came to a stop off the runway in soft ground. All occupants exited uninjured.
Investigation Findings
Post-flight tests with a similar aircraft indicated that a hard landing at Vref+10 kt, combined with reverse and speed brake deployment at about 1 m above the runway, led to bouncing and a nose-down attitude, overloading the nose gear. The nose gear fork fracture was determined by material testing to be due to mechanical overload, with no pre-existing cracks. The ATIS broadcast did not include warnings about wind shear, though the tower advised the flight during the approach.
Probable Cause
The accident was caused by an unstabilized approach due to wind shear; uncoordinated use of reverse thrust and speed brakes after a relatively hard landing at excessive speed; and a lack of ATIS warning about the reported wind shear.