ACR HVT FRT ACFT HIT ENG POD ON LNDG AT TER.

Date: 1991-12

Synopsis

ACR HVT FRT ACFT HIT ENG POD ON LNDG AT TER.

Narrative

WE WERE ON A MAC CARGO FLT; WITH A RTING OF MCGUIRE (KWRI) - LAJES (LPLA) - MCGUIRE. DEP WX BRIEFING INDICATED THAT LAJES WOULD HAVE WINDS FROM 010 DEGS TO 030 DEGS AT 23 KTS GUSTING TO 34 KTS. WE COMPUTED THE WORST CASE XWIND COMPONENT (030 DEGS AT 34 KTS) AND DETERMINED A COMPONENT OF 27 KTS (WELL WITHIN THE AIRPLANE'S 34 KTS MAX). UPON ARR LAJES AREA; THE WINDS WERE RPTED TO BE THE SAME AS FORECASTED; AND WE WERE VECTORED FOR A PAR APCH TO RWY 33. WE ENTERED THE CLOUD TOPS AT 10000 FT WHILE ON THE VICTOR TO DOWNWIND; AND LET DOWN TO 2000 FT ON BASE LEG. DUE TO THE GUSTY NATURE OF THE WINDS; THE FINAL CTLR WAS ALMOST CONSTANTLY CORRECTING OUR HDG TO MAINTAIN FINAL APCH CENTERLINE (WITH A MIN OF 335 DEGS AND A MAX OF 348 DEGS). THE FINAL APCH FLAPS AND LNDG CHK WERE DONE BY THE FINAL APCH FIX AND APCH COMMENCED. WE BROKE OUT OF THE CLOUDS ABOUT 1000 FT; ABOUT 3 MI FINAL AND THE WINDS SEEMED TO STABILIZE AS WE HELD A 335 DEG HDG TO MAINTAIN CENTERLINE. BY 100 FT AGL; WE TRANSITIONED FROM CRAB TO XWIND LNDG CONFIGN (ABOUT 5 DEGS R WING DOWN) AND STARTED THE FLARE ABOUT 50 FT. AT THIS TIME (ABOUT 1000 FT FROM APCH END) THE R WING ROSE SUDDENLY AND UNCTLABLY (TO ABOUT 20-25 DEGS BANK) AND THE AIRPLANE YAWED L (ABOUT 10 DEGS). BOTH PLTS FOUGHT TO REGAIN CTL AND MANAGED TO CENTER THE NOSE BUT THE BANK WAS SLOW RECOVERING. PASSING ABOUT 4000 FT DOWN THE RWY THE R WING DROPPED OUT FROM UNDER US (APPARENTLY CAUSING THE #4 ENG NACELLE TO DRAG THE RWY); AND WE FOUGHT THE R WING UP AND LANDED. WE DETERMINED (LATER) THAT THE RWY WINDS WERE 21-27 KTS; BUT THE TWR WINDS (ON A HILL TOP NE OF OUR TOUCHDOWN AREA AND 300 FT HIGH) WERE EITHER 44 OR 50 KTS.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.