Incident Overview
On 25 December 2018, a serious incident occurred at Cam Ranh International Airport involving VietJet flight VJ689, an Airbus A320-214 (registration VN-A695). The aircraft was operating a commercial air transport flight from Cam Ranh to Tan Son Nhat International Airport. No damage to the aircraft or injuries to persons were reported.
Flight Crew and Aircraft
The captain, born in 1963, had accumulated 10,674 total flight hours, including 4,908 hours on the A320. The first officer, born in 1997, had 559 total flight hours, with 350 hours on the A320. Both crew members held valid licenses and medical certificates, and their training requirements complied with regulations. The aircraft, manufactured on 17 October 2008, had a valid airworthiness certificate until 28 April 2019. The technical status before the flight showed no damage affecting safety.
Sequence of Events
The aircraft took off from Cam Ranh at 11:16:25 UTC. At 11:19:20, at an altitude of 6,700 feet, the green hydraulic system pressure began to decrease. At 8,000 feet, an ECAM warning displayed "GREEN HYDRAULIC LOW PRESSURE" along with a master caution. The crew performed the abnormal procedure and decided to return to Cam Ranh. The crew contacted air traffic control (ATC), requested to maintain flight level 120, and later requested direct routing to the Cam Ranh VOR and a hold at flight level 130. ATC cleared these requests.
During the descent and landing approach, the cockpit voice recorder indicated that the crew did not complete all steps of the standard landing preparation procedure as specified in the operator's Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). Specifically, they did not conduct an approach briefing or exchange airport and runway information before descending. At 11:36, the crew requested descent to 5,000 feet heading 110, which was approved. At 11:43, the crew reported approaching CR021; ATC reiterated clearance for the ILS Z RWY02 approach and requested a report when established on final. The crew acknowledged. At 11:45, ATC instructed the crew to contact the tower controller, which they did. The aircraft touched down at 11:50:05 on a new runway that was not yet in operation.
Hydraulic Leak Cause
After the incident, VietJet engineering inspected the aircraft according to the Aircraft Maintenance Manual. They found that the swivel joint at the flexible hose connecting to the right-hand main landing gear door actuator was broken, leading to a hydraulic leak. This resulted in a loss of pressure in the green hydraulic system. The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam reviewed maintenance records and found that VietJet had fully complied with all Airbus manufacturer requirements.
Investigation Findings
The investigation determined that the crew did not complete the standard landing preparation briefing. The aircraft landed on a runway not intended for operations. No contributing factors or causal links were established in the available report.