Incident Overview

Date: Tuesday 19 June 1962
Aircraft Type: Douglas DC-3D
Owner/operator: Swissair
Registration Number: HB-IRB
Location: Zrich-Kloten Airport (ZRH) – ÿ Switzerland
Phase of Flight: Landing
Status: Substantial, repaired
Casualties: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 19
Component Affected: Aircraft structure, main undercarriage, and control surfaces.Aircraft structure, main undercarriage, and control surfaces.
Category: Accident
A DC-3 aircraft experienced a near-miss incident during a round-trip passenger flight between Zurich and Geneva. Due to a strong crosswind, the aircraft drifted off the runway at Zurich-Kloten Airport, resulting in a significant rightward deviation and damage to the right main undercarriage. The instructor initiated aggressive engine corrections, leading to the aircraft breaking away to the right and ultimately impacting the runway edge. The incident was resolved through repair and registration with Commercial Air Services (South Africa) before being sold to Norway.A DC-3 aircraft experienced a near-miss incident during a round-trip passenger flight between Zurich and Geneva. Due to a strong crosswind, the aircraft drifted off the runway at Zurich-Kloten Airport, resulting in a significant rightward deviation and damage to the right main undercarriage. The instructor initiated aggressive engine corrections, leading to the aircraft breaking away to the right and ultimately impacting the runway edge. The incident was resolved through repair and registration with Commercial Air Services (South Africa) before being sold to Norway.

Description

The aircraft operated on a round trip passenger flight between Zurich and Geneva, Switzerland. The return flight was performed by a student pilot. An instrument landing was carried out on runway 16 at Zurich-Kloten Airport. Due to a crosswind the aircraft threatened to break away to the left from the runway. The instructor took over control, but applied such intense engine correction that the aircraft broke away to the right. The DC-3 went over the right hand edge of the runway, then turned again to the left. The right main undercarriage became dislodged, and the aircraft sustained serious damage. The occupants were unhurt. The aircraft was sold to Norway, where it was repaired and registered as LN-LMK in September 1964. It was immediately sold on to Commercial Air Services (South Africa) as ZS-DXW. Conclusions: “The commission arrived at the following unanimous conclusions the casualty is referable to the fact that the aircraft which was approximately fully loaded and had the centre of gravity behind the permissible limit, in the landing by a flying pupil, as a consequence of an intense lateral wind threatened to break away from the track, whereupon the instructor, taking over the control over corrected in the other direction.”

Primary Cause

Strong crosswind conditions during a landing by a student pilot.Strong crosswind conditions during a landing by a student pilot.

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