Incident Details
On 16 October 2020, at 11:24 UTC, Vietjet flight VJ260 (Airbus A321-211, registration VN-A639) landed on runway 11 at Dong Hoi Airport and ran off the left edge of the runway, damaging three runway edge lights. The aircraft was operating a commercial air transport flight from Tan Son Nhat International Airport to Dong Hoi Airport with 115 passengers (including one infant) and 7 crew members (2 pilots, 5 cabin crew). No fatalities or injuries were reported; all occupants were safe.
Flight Crew
The flight crew consisted of a Captain (Spanish, born 1967) as pilot flying and a First Officer (Vietnamese, born 1987) as pilot monitoring. Both held valid licenses and medical certificates at the time of the incident.
Sequence of Events
- At 11:01:25, air traffic control (ATC) at Dong Hoi cleared the aircraft to descend to 7,000 ft and approach runway 11 using the VOR/DME method.
- At 11:06:02, ATC informed the crew of wind 040° at 20 kt gusting 35 kt. The crew acknowledged.
- At 11:11:03, ATC cleared the aircraft for a VOR/DME approach to runway 11.
- At 11:15:07, ATC updated weather: wind 030° at 26 kt gusting 36 kt, heavy rain, visibility 4,400 m. The Captain acknowledged.
- At 11:17:30, the Captain informed ATC of a passenger with health issues and requested medical assistance after landing.
- At 11:24:09, the aircraft landed and departed the left side of the runway, damaging three runway lights.
- At 11:24:46, the Captain reported a hard landing to ATC.
Meteorological Conditions
At the time of the incident, wind was from 020° at 20 kt gusting 30 kt, with heavy rain (+RA) and visibility 2,900 m (SPECI 11:25 UTC). The wind conditions exceeded the crosswind limits for the aircraft.
Aircraft Damage
Inspection revealed:
- Deformation of fuselage frame number 20 (left and right).
- Bending of stringers on frame number 20.
- Cracking in sealants and materials at multiple locations on frame number 20.
- Damage to the nose landing gear.
- Chipped fan blades and broken tie bolts in the nose wheel assembly, with debris found on the runway.
Direct Causes (as stated in the report)
Objective Reasons
- Strong crosswind, heavy rain, and low visibility at the time of landing, which exceeded the aircraft's crosswind limitations.
Subjective Reasons
- The flight crew decided to continue the landing despite weather conditions exceeding crosswind limits.
- Inadequate monitoring of flight parameters and late initiation of corrective actions.
Indirect Causes
The report also identified indirect causes related to operational procedures and training, but these are not detailed here as the focus is on direct facts.