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Iberia A340 touched down on ramp and hit tower
London (08Nov04, 18:04 GMT, 595 words)
Details have emerged of a bizarre incident two years ago when an Iberia Airbus A340 touched down on an airport’s ramp area during a go-around while undergoing a post-maintenance test flight and struck a sentry tower as it climbed away.
According to a just-published official report into the 8 November 2002 incident, the captain, who was the pilot flying, says he was avoiding a flock of birds.
The flightdeck crew consisted of two captains; the 57 year-old commander was experienced in test flying but the 52 year-old co-pilot, with lengthy A320 experience, had only 19hr on the A340 and was not authorised to fly it from the right-hand seat. There was a crew of 10 on board, including technicians and a representative of the Spanish civil aviation authority DGAC.
The crew took off from Madrid Barajas for Salamanca having decided that approach, flap, gear and ground proximity warning system (GPWS) checks should be carried out there following high level checks en route.
Having carried out an instrument landing system approach and go around at Salamanca’s runway 21, checking various GPWS warnings, the crew landed the aircraft from a second approach and had a light meal before taking off again. The captain decided that the “don’t sink” GPWS warning needed rechecking and carried out a visual circuit and approach intending to go around, but other occupants told investigators that they believed the tests had been completed satisfactorily and “did not understand the purpose of those new manoeuvres”.
On short final approach the aircraft began to drift well to the left of the runway, touched down briefly on the parking apron in front of the terminal, and climbed away striking a 11m (36ft)-high unused sentry tower, severely damaging the flaps and gear.
The commander says the deviation happened while he was avoiding a flock of birds, but the Spanish air accident investigator’s report says the cause was “inadequate management of an approach manoeuvre”, and the aircraft had been held at less than 36ft above ground level for at least 20s “without any increase in power” before touching down heavily on the apron.
The investigators say “no explanation has been found” for the aircraft’s lengthy deviation from the runway without crew intervention.
The damage caused cockpit warnings and prevented the gear from retracting, but the aircraft appeared to be flying normally and the hydraulic and electrical systems were indicating normal, so the crew proceeded to Madrid to carry out a flapless landing.
Subsequent inspection showed that parts of the right-hand flaps were missing and both main landing gears had to be changed because the certification loads, and in the case of the left gear, possibly the ultimate design load, had been exceeded.
Airbus told the investigators that the recommended GPWS test after maintenance used the system’s built-in test equipment, and flight-testing would not add any value. It also showed them its manual for post-heavy maintenance testing which contains no GPWS tests. Iberia said it was not aware of the manual’s existence.
The report states: “It is considered that the most probable cause of this event was the inadequate commanding of an approach manoeuvre…during which the aircraft deviated very noticeably from the runway axis, and was kept at a height less than 36ft during at least 20s and then lost additional height without any increase of engine power until it touched down and hit the sentry box.
“The manoeuvre was not a part of the flight-test plan that was discussed during the pre-flight briefing.”
Iberia says it has modified its procedures for test flights, and the pilot-in-command has retired.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
Iberia A340 touched down on ramp and hit tower
London (08Nov04, 18:04 GMT, 595 words)
Details have emerged of a bizarre incident two years ago when an Iberia Airbus A340 touched down on an airport’s ramp area during a go-around while undergoing a post-maintenance test flight and struck a sentry tower as it climbed away.
According to a just-published official report into the 8 November 2002 incident, the captain, who was the pilot flying, says he was avoiding a flock of birds.
The flightdeck crew consisted of two captains; the 57 year-old commander was experienced in test flying but the 52 year-old co-pilot, with lengthy A320 experience, had only 19hr on the A340 and was not authorised to fly it from the right-hand seat. There was a crew of 10 on board, including technicians and a representative of the Spanish civil aviation authority DGAC.
The crew took off from Madrid Barajas for Salamanca having decided that approach, flap, gear and ground proximity warning system (GPWS) checks should be carried out there following high level checks en route.
Having carried out an instrument landing system approach and go around at Salamanca’s runway 21, checking various GPWS warnings, the crew landed the aircraft from a second approach and had a light meal before taking off again. The captain decided that the “don’t sink” GPWS warning needed rechecking and carried out a visual circuit and approach intending to go around, but other occupants told investigators that they believed the tests had been completed satisfactorily and “did not understand the purpose of those new manoeuvres”.
On short final approach the aircraft began to drift well to the left of the runway, touched down briefly on the parking apron in front of the terminal, and climbed away striking a 11m (36ft)-high unused sentry tower, severely damaging the flaps and gear.
The commander says the deviation happened while he was avoiding a flock of birds, but the Spanish air accident investigator’s report says the cause was “inadequate management of an approach manoeuvre”, and the aircraft had been held at less than 36ft above ground level for at least 20s “without any increase in power” before touching down heavily on the apron.
The investigators say “no explanation has been found” for the aircraft’s lengthy deviation from the runway without crew intervention.
The damage caused cockpit warnings and prevented the gear from retracting, but the aircraft appeared to be flying normally and the hydraulic and electrical systems were indicating normal, so the crew proceeded to Madrid to carry out a flapless landing.
Subsequent inspection showed that parts of the right-hand flaps were missing and both main landing gears had to be changed because the certification loads, and in the case of the left gear, possibly the ultimate design load, had been exceeded.
Airbus told the investigators that the recommended GPWS test after maintenance used the system’s built-in test equipment, and flight-testing would not add any value. It also showed them its manual for post-heavy maintenance testing which contains no GPWS tests. Iberia said it was not aware of the manual’s existence.
The report states: “It is considered that the most probable cause of this event was the inadequate commanding of an approach manoeuvre…during which the aircraft deviated very noticeably from the runway axis, and was kept at a height less than 36ft during at least 20s and then lost additional height without any increase of engine power until it touched down and hit the sentry box.
“The manoeuvre was not a part of the flight-test plan that was discussed during the pre-flight briefing.”
Iberia says it has modified its procedures for test flights, and the pilot-in-command has retired.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
