Incident Overview

Date: Friday 31 January 2020
Aircraft Type: Bombardier DHC-8-402Q Dash 8
Owner/operator: WestJet Encore
Registration Number: C-FKWE
Location: Terrace Airport, BC (YXT) – ÿ Canada
Phase of Flight: Landing
Status: Substantial, repaired
Casualties: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 47
Component Affected: Nose Landing GearNose Landing Gear
Investigating Agency: TSBTSB
Category: Accident
On May 27, 2020, WestJet Encore flight 3107 experienced a nose landing gear collapse during landing at Terrace Airport, Canada, due to adverse weather conditions. The aircraft departed the cleared area of the runway to the left, encountered windrows, and subsequently deviated off the runway, resulting in a collapse of the nose wheel and damage to the right propeller blades. The flight was ferried to Kelowna and resumed service after repairs.On May 27, 2020, WestJet Encore flight 3107 experienced a nose landing gear collapse during landing at Terrace Airport, Canada, due to adverse weather conditions. The aircraft departed the cleared area of the runway to the left, encountered windrows, and subsequently deviated off the runway, resulting in a collapse of the nose wheel and damage to the right propeller blades. The flight was ferried to Kelowna and resumed service after repairs.

Description

WestJet Encore flight 3107, a DHC-8-400, suffered a nose landing gear collapse on landing at Terrace Airport, Canada. It was snowing at the time of the accident. During the landing roll on runway 33, the aircraft departed the cleared area of the runway to the left, contacted a windrow, travelled partially off the runway surface, returned to the runway and stopped. The damage to the aircraft included the nose wheel collapsing and damage to the right propeller blades. The aircraft was ferried to Kelowna on May 27 and resumed service after final repairs on June 10, 2020. Findings as to causes and contributing factors 1. Given the falling snow and the snow-covered runway, there were limited visual cues available to the flight crew, which decreased their ability to accurately judge the aircraft’s lateral position once it was beyond the threshold. 2. Snow clearing operations cleared the centre 100 feet of the runway, which resulted in windrows that were approximately 18 inches high along the edges of the cleared area. This reduced the pilot’s lateral manoeuvring room during the landing. 3. The aircraft initially touched down 10 feet left of the centreline due to control inputs and variable wind conditions and, while the aircraft was still in a light weight-on-wheels condition, a gust contributed to a further deviation to the left until the left main landing gear came into contact with the windrow. 4. As the left main landing gear impacted the windrow, the drag on that landing gear caused the aircraft to pull to the left, causing the nose and right main landing gear to also come into contact with the windrow. 5. During the runway excursion, snow and ice became packed in the nose landing gear bay and caused structural deformation. Consequently, the nose landing gear was no longer being held in place and collapsed rearward into the fuselage, causing substantial damage to the aircraft.

Primary Cause

Limited visual cues due to falling snow and snow-covered runway conditions reduced the flight crew’s ability to accurately judge the aircraft’s lateral position, leading to a deviation off the runway.Limited visual cues due to falling snow and snow-covered runway conditions reduced the flight crew’s ability to accurately judge the aircraft’s lateral position, leading to a deviation off the runway.

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