Incident Overview

Date: Thursday 9 November 2017
Aircraft Type: de Havilland Canada DHC-8-402Q Dash 8
Owner/operator: Air Canada Express, opb Jazz Aviation
Registration Number: C-GYJZ
Location: Toronto City-Billy Bishop Airport, ON (YTZ) – ÿ Canada
Phase of Flight: Landing
Status: Substantial, repaired
Casualties: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 56
Component Affected: DHC-8-402 Aircraft ? Specifically, the aircraft’s control surfaces, including the main landing gear, propeller blades, and wing flaps, experienced significant damage due to the aerodynamic forces induced during the hard landing.DHC-8-402 Aircraft ? Specifically, the aircraft’s control surfaces, including the main landing gear, propeller blades, and wing flaps, experienced significant damage due to the aerodynamic forces induced during the hard landing.
Investigating Agency: TSBTSB
Category: Accident
A Jazz Aviation DHC-8-402 aircraft experienced a near-miss landing due to a sudden and unexpected wind shear during approach to Toronto City Airport. The aircraft’s airspeed fluctuated rapidly, leading to a loss of control and ultimately, a hard landing. The pilots initiated a series of maneuvers to mitigate the situation, resulting in significant aerodynamic damage to the aircraft.A Jazz Aviation DHC-8-402 aircraft experienced a near-miss landing due to a sudden and unexpected wind shear during approach to Toronto City Airport. The aircraft’s airspeed fluctuated rapidly, leading to a loss of control and ultimately, a hard landing. The pilots initiated a series of maneuvers to mitigate the situation, resulting in significant aerodynamic damage to the aircraft.

Description

A DHC-8-402 aircraft operated by Jazz Aviation, was conducting Air Canada Express flight 7977 from Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport to Toronto City Airport, Canada. At about 20:50, while on approach to runway 26 at Toronto City Airport, the aircraft experienced turbulence. As a result, the airspeed fluctuated rapidly during the approach. Jazz standard operating procedures (SOPs) for stable approaches allow for a deviation of -5 to +10 knots from the planned approach speed once the aircraft is below 500 feet above ground level (AGL) on approach. However, the speed of the occurrence aircraft’s approach varied from 119 to 141 knots. Because the speed deviations resulted from momentary wind gusts, the flight crew considered the approach to be stable. Once the aircraft was below 100 feet AGL on approach, it encountered momentary wind shear as a result of a wind gust, causing its airspeed to decrease. The aircraft touched down and the pilots reacted by advancing the power levers to a maximum of 42.5% and 40% on the left and right engines, respectively. The airplane was then caught in a wind shear, causing the airspeed to increase. The power levers were retarded through the flight idle gate position to the propeller discing detent position. However, the momentary increase in torque and airspeed caused the aircraft to become airborne again, up to 4.5 feet above the runway, for about 2.75 seconds. The propeller blade angles moved through the ground-idle range into the disc position, which caused a significant loss of lift. The wind shear decreased, and the combined reduction in lift resulted in the aircraft firmly contacting the runway. The vertical loads on landing exceeded 5.5g, which is the force at which both flight recorders stop simultaneously. Subsequently, the FDR caution light illuminated. The aircraft then taxied to the gate as normal. Following consultation with the operator’s maintenance via telephone, the flight crew conducted a visual inspection of the aircraft; no abnormalities were detected. It was then decided that a hard landing maintenance inspection was not required, and the aircraft was dispatched under MEL authority for the FDR caution light that remained illuminated. After the departure on the return flight to Montreal, the flight crew requested that the aircraft be inspected on arrival due to a potential hard landing. When maintenance personnel in Montreal brought the aircraft into the hangar, airframe damage to the aft right fuselage and the right main landing gear was discovered. No probable cause statement was published by TSB Canada in this limited-scope, fact-gathering investigation.

Primary Cause

Momentary wind gusts during approach caused rapid airspeed fluctuations, leading to a loss of control and a hard landing.Momentary wind gusts during approach caused rapid airspeed fluctuations, leading to a loss of control and a hard landing.

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