What happened
During a twilight approach to Kuujjuaq-Fort Chimo Airport, the crew was operating slightly below the established VASIS descent profile. As the aircraft neared the runway and the engines were transitioned to idle power, the crew experienced an unexpected and rapid loss of airspeed. This deceleration led to a hard touchdown on the runway.
Following the landing, the engines were shut down at the terminal. Upon inspection, the crew discovered structural damage to the aircraft, specifically noting deformations around the nose wheel attachment point. Additionally, the wings sustained deformations that resulted in a fuel leak.
Findings
Several environmental and operational factors were noted during the incident:
- The runway surface, consisting of gravel, provided very little light reflection, making the environment appear significantly darker to the crew during the twilight approach.
- The approach was stable but did not maintain the intended descent profile.
- Runway 31 features an upward slope of 1.3%.