Incident Overview

Date: Thursday 4 April 2019
Aircraft Type: de Havilland Canada DHC-8-402Q Dash 8
Owner/operator: Austrian Airlines
Registration Number: OE-LGM
Location: Innsbruck-Kranebitten Airport (INN) – ÿ Austria
Phase of Flight: Landing
Status: Substantial, repaired
Casualties: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 78
Component Affected: Aircraft Fuselage (specifically the rear area)Aircraft Fuselage (specifically the rear area)
Investigating Agency: UUS AustriaUUS Austria
Category: Accident
An Austrian Airlines DHC-8-402Q Dash 8, OS903, experienced a tailstrike during landing in Innsbruck, Austria, due to a sudden and significant decrease in wind speed just prior to touchdown. The flight was proceeding under normal conditions with foreseeability of wind shears, but wind conditions were not forecast. The aircraft was on final approach at 30 feet above the ground at approximately 141 kt, and experienced a rapid and substantial loss of altitude and speed. The first officer reported the aircraft being ‘pushed down’ and a rapid descent rate of approximately 500-700 feet per minute. The aircraft?s pitch angle increased to 7.65 degrees upon touchdown, and the descent rate decreased to approximately 200-500 feet per minute. A post-landing inspection revealed damage to the rear fuselage, including broken stringers and frames, resulting from the impact.An Austrian Airlines DHC-8-402Q Dash 8, OS903, experienced a tailstrike during landing in Innsbruck, Austria, due to a sudden and significant decrease in wind speed just prior to touchdown. The flight was proceeding under normal conditions with foreseeability of wind shears, but wind conditions were not forecast. The aircraft was on final approach at 30 feet above the ground at approximately 141 kt, and experienced a rapid and substantial loss of altitude and speed. The first officer reported the aircraft being ‘pushed down’ and a rapid descent rate of approximately 500-700 feet per minute. The aircraft?s pitch angle increased to 7.65 degrees upon touchdown, and the descent rate decreased to approximately 200-500 feet per minute. A post-landing inspection revealed damage to the rear fuselage, including broken stringers and frames, resulting from the impact.

Description

An Austrian Airlines DHC-8-402Q Dash 8, performing flight OS903, suffered a tailstrike during landing in Innsbruck, Austria. The flight departed Vienna, Austria, at 10:03 hours local time, bound for Innsbruck. The first officer was Pilot Flying. Foehn conditions were already foreseeable at Innsbruck, but wind shears were not forecast. The en route and descent part of the flight were uneventful. At 10:50 the flight received landing clearance for runway 08 and wind information from the controller at Innsbruck: “020 deg 11 kt…Kematen 070 deg 17, gusting 32, expect wind checks on final” (Kernaten is a town located on the runway 08 approach path). Five minutes later the aircraft was on final approach at 30 ft above the ground at a speed (IAS) of about 141 kt. During the next two seconds, the aircraft quickly lost altitude and speed. The first officer noticed that the aircraft was “pushed down”. The rate of descent was approximately 500-700 ft/min. The first officer increased the power, but at this point the aircraft was already touching down on the runway at a speed of 123 knots. The first officer pulled up the nose of the aircraft, because of which the pitch angle of the aircraft rose to 7.65ø when touching down. The rate of descent decreased to approximately 200-500 ft/min by the time of touchdown. The maximum vertical acceleration (along the yaw axis) when touching down was 2.1 g. A post-landing inspection showed damage to the underside of the rear fuselage, which had touched the runway. On the inside of the rear of the fuselage, stringers and frames were broken and bent. The aircraft was repaired and resumed service on June 4, two months after the accident. Probable causes: Sudden decrease in wind speed just before touchdown (Low-level negative wind shear)

Source of Information

http://www.austrianaviation.net/detail/innsbruck-oe-lgm-nach-tailstrike-beschaedigt/http://www.austrianaviation.net/detail/innsbruck-oe-lgm-nach-tailstrike-beschaedigt/

Primary Cause

Sudden decrease in wind speed just before touchdown (Low-level negative wind shear)Sudden decrease in wind speed just before touchdown (Low-level negative wind shear)

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