What happened
On January 13, 2017, a Boeing 747-8F with registration VQ-BLR was performing a freight flight into Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. During the landing on runway 36R, the right main landing gear made contact with the runway threshold lights. The impact caused three threshold lights to disintegrate and resulted in multiple dents and scratches on the aircraft's wings and fuselage. The flight crew, who were aware of a hard landing but not the contact with the lights, only discovered the damage when maintenance personnel inspected the aircraft at the gate.
The investigation
The Dutch Safety Board examined flight data recorder information, interviews with the four-person crew, radio communications with air traffic control, and meteorological data. The investigation focused on the aircraft's descent profile and the stability of the approach. Investigators also reviewed the wind conditions at the time, noting significant wind variations and gusts of up to 38 knots. While the captain suspected windshear, Boeing's analysis of the flight data could not confirm windshear as the specific cause of the increased sink rate, though turbulent conditions were present.
Findings
- The aircraft's approach became unstable after the captain disconnected the autopilot at 700 feet, leading to a flight path below the established 3-degree glidepath.
- At 100 feet altitude, the glideslope deviation exceeded the allowable limit, which should have triggered a go-around according to operator policy.
- Shortly before touchdown, the aircraft's systems issued both "glideslope" and "sink rate" warnings due to an increasing rate of descent.
- The high rate of descent and an insufficient flare maneuver resulted in a hard landing that struck the threshold lights.
- The crew did not execute a go-around despite the breach of stable approach criteria and the activation of GPWS alerts.
Safety action
Following the incident, the operator implemented additional simulator training for the involved crew members, focusing on hard landings, touchdown zone accuracy, and visual illusions. The operator also issued a fleet-wide reminder regarding the necessity of adhering to stabilized approach criteria and the requirement to perform a go-around when an approach becomes unstable.