Incident Overview

Date: Saturday 1 October 2022
Aircraft Type: Boeing 737-8GJ (WL)
Owner/operator: Transavia France
Registration Number: F-GZHA
Location: Nantes Atlantique Airport (NTE) – ÿ France
Phase of Flight: Landing
Status: Substantial, repaired
Casualties: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 171
Component Affected: Boeing 737-800 aircraft (specifically nose tyres and structural damage).Boeing 737-800 aircraft (specifically nose tyres and structural damage).
Investigating Agency: BEABEA
Category: Accident
A Boeing 737-800 aircraft, operated by Transavia France, suffered significant damage during a hard landing accident on runway 21 at Nantes Atlantique Airport (NTE/LFRS) on October 26, 2023. The aircraft experienced substantial nose tyre damage, leading to a roll-out on the nose wheel rims. Structural damage was observed. Contributing factors included inappropriate co-pilot actions, workload issues, a lack of adequate training, and insufficient consideration of aerodromes and training protocols. An approach briefing failed to address potential risks effectively, and the instructor’s lack of anticipation during the approach contributed to the incident. The aircraft?s trajectory was exacerbated by a combination of factors, including pilot awareness of tail strike risk, insufficient training in handling a bounce, and a failure to update the airport operator?s safety study regarding runway longitudinal slopes.A Boeing 737-800 aircraft, operated by Transavia France, suffered significant damage during a hard landing accident on runway 21 at Nantes Atlantique Airport (NTE/LFRS) on October 26, 2023. The aircraft experienced substantial nose tyre damage, leading to a roll-out on the nose wheel rims. Structural damage was observed. Contributing factors included inappropriate co-pilot actions, workload issues, a lack of adequate training, and insufficient consideration of aerodromes and training protocols. An approach briefing failed to address potential risks effectively, and the instructor’s lack of anticipation during the approach contributed to the incident. The aircraft?s trajectory was exacerbated by a combination of factors, including pilot awareness of tail strike risk, insufficient training in handling a bounce, and a failure to update the airport operator?s safety study regarding runway longitudinal slopes.

Description

Transavia France flight TO3943, a Boeing 737-800, sustained substantial damage in a hard landing accident on runway 21 at Nantes Atlantique Airport (NTE/LFRS), France. Photos show that the nose tyres were damaged causing the aircraft to roll out on the nose wheel rims. Structural damage was noted. Contributing factors that may have contributed to the hard landing include: – Inappropriate actions by the co-pilot to increase pitch and reduce thrust during the flare maneuver; – The workload induced by an early disconnection of the automations under deteriorated weather conditions and at an airport with an off-axis approach, leading to a late alignment on the final approach at an altitude below 1,000 ft and close to minimums; – The absence of a framework or decision-making aid for instructors to help them assess the match between the difficulty of a flight and the level of the trainee co-pilot who will perform it as PF; – A lack of consideration by the operator, at the time of the accident, of the particularities of some aerodromes in the planning of co-pilot flights in Line Training; – Insufficient consideration by the operator and instructor of the fragmented training of the co-pilot and his recent experience in Line Training; – Insufficient consideration by the instructor of the difficulty that the co-pilot might have in executing the approach to runway 21 under the conditions of the day; – An approach briefing that identified threats, but did not discuss means to mitigate their effects; – A mistaken perception of the final part of the descent plan due to the upward slope of the runway; – The instructor’s lack of anticipation in taking control during a dynamic phase of flight. Factors that may have exacerbated the damage after the hard landing: – Excessive and disproportionate awareness of the risk of tail strike among Transavia pilots, compared to the risk of a hard landing; – Insufficient training on actions to take in case of a bounce, which led the instructor to reflexively apply the actions planned to avoid a tail strike without verbalizing the takeover of the controls. The lack of feedback from airline operators regarding the use of the runway did not allow for an update of the airport operator’s safety study related to runway longitudinal slopes, changes in longitudinal slopes, radii of curvature, and visibility distance.

Source of Information

https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/f-gzha, https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/pays-de-la-loire/loire-atlantique/nantes/un-avion-rate-son-atterrissage-le-trafic-de-l-aeroport-de-nantes-interrompu-pendant-3-heures-2626216.htmlhttps://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/f-gzha, https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/pays-de-la-loire/loire-atlantique/nantes/un-avion-rate-son-atterrissage-le-trafic-de-l-aeroport-de-nantes-interrompu-pendant-3-heures-2626216.html

Primary Cause

Inappropriate co-pilot actions, including increased pitch and reduced thrust during the flare maneuver, combined with a high workload and an inadequate approach briefing, likely initiated the hard landing.Inappropriate co-pilot actions, including increased pitch and reduced thrust during the flare maneuver, combined with a high workload and an inadequate approach briefing, likely initiated the hard landing.

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