Background
The aircraft involved was a Cessna 501 Citation I SP, registered D-IGGG, operated privately. The pilot held a Private Pilot Licence (PPL(A)) issued by the German Federal Aviation Office (LBA) on 14 August 2013, with approximately 1160 total flight hours, of which 269 were in the preceding 90 days; on type, he had 50 hours, also 50 in the preceding 90 days. The flight departed Nuremberg Airport (EDDN) and was conducted under instrument flight rules (IFR).
Incident
At 13:29:51 UTC, the pilot contacted Zurich Arrival, confirming flight level 130 and receipt of automatic terminal information service (ATIS) Delta. Radar vectors were provided for an ILS approach to runway 14. At 13:41:58, while on final approach at 3700 ft AMSL and 6.2 NM from the threshold, the pilot contacted Zurich Tower and received landing clearance with a wind of 330° at 3 kt. The pilot continued the approach manually for training purposes.
At 13:42:26, the controller advised that the ceiling was 200 ft above ground, with scattered clouds at 150 ft, cautioning that the runway would become visible late. At about 1.6 NM from the threshold, the aircraft was at 700 ft (the glideslope at that point was 500 ft above threshold), with a ground speed of 130 kt. Just before the threshold, altitude was 400 ft.
At 13:44:53, 1500 m past the threshold, the aircraft was at approximately 200 ft above ground, corresponding to the decision height. The aircraft touched down at 13:45:06, about 900 m before the end of the 3150 m runway (i.e., 2400 m from the threshold). The pilot activated thrust reversers.
The controller, monitoring via radar and later video, observed the low, fast approach and anticipated a go-around. At 13:45:08, nearly simultaneously with touchdown, he instructed “Delta Golf Golf, go around!”
The pilot deactivated reversers and initiated a go-around. The aircraft lifted off about 150 m before the runway end. The controller then instructed the pilot to follow the standard missed approach procedure, which called for a climb to 4000 ft AMSL. The aircraft passed that altitude at 13:46:43.
Altitude Deviation
At 13:47:47, while the aircraft was climbing through 6800 ft AMSL, the controller instructed “descend to 6000 ft.” The aircraft continued to climb to 7200 ft before beginning its descent, thus exceeding the assigned altitude.
Aftermath
The pilot was subsequently handed off to Zurich Arrival and vectored for a second ILS approach to runway 14, which ended with a normal landing. No injuries were reported among the one crew member and four passengers. The aircraft was undamaged, and no third-party damage occurred.
The investigation by the Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (STSB) described the event as a serious incident involving a long landing, late go-around, and level bust.