Created Thursday, May 12th 2022 18:51Z, last updated Friday, Apr 12th 2024 17:59Z
A Blue Air Boeing 737-800, registration YR-BMM performing flight 0B-143 from Bucharest Otopeni (Romania) to Naples (Italy), landed on Naples' runway 24 at 16:03L (14:03Z) but touched down hard. The aircraft rolled out without further incident and taxied to the apron.
The aircraft is still on the ground in Naples 6 days later (May 12th 2022).
Italy's ANSV reported they rated the occurrence an accident, the aircraft sustained substantial structural damage to the rear on the hard landing. An investigation has been opened, the flight data recorders have been acquired.
On May 18th 2022 The Aviation Herald received information, that the aircraft touched down at 120 KIAS (Vref 137 KIAS), 1200 fpm sinkrate and about 8.9 degrees nose up attitude experiencing +3.83G vertical acceleration also resulting in a tail strike, just at touch down a GPWS wind shear warning activated (but is assumed to have been erroneous due to the severe hard touch down. While the flight crew was aware of the hard landing, the tail strike was only discovered at the gate. Preliminary investigation results suggest, that the aircraft - after the autopilot was disconnected at 1500 feet AGL - descended below the glide path starting below 200 feet AGL, a GPWS glideslope warning occurred, the vertical path was corrected however without adding thrust causing a low energy state of the aircraft.
On Apr 12th 2024 Italy's ANSV released their final report in Italian only (editorial note: to serve the purpose of global prevention of the repeat of causes leading to an occurrence an additional timely release of all occurrence reports in the only world spanning aviation language English would be necessary, an Italian only release does not achieve this purpose as set by ICAO annex 13 and just forces many aviators to waste much more time and effort each in trying to understand the circumstances leading to the occurrence. Aviators operating internationally are required to read/speak English besides their local language, investigators need to be able to read/write/speak English to communicate with their counterparts all around the globe.)
The report concludes the probable causes of the accident were:
The accident occurred because of the commander's late and uncoordinated action in response to inadequate management of the final phase of the landing by the PF first officer. This made it possible for the first officer to initiate a flare early in such a way that the aircraft lost translational energy causing excessive vertical speed, thus creating the pre-conditions for the heavy landing. Subsequently in the commander's attempt to avoid it a pronounced high pitch attitude of the aircraft induced the tail strike.
The following likely contributed to the occurrence of the event:
- the ineffectiveness of the operator's Safety Management in disseminating published information and recommendations following two previous similar occurrences;
- the sudden change in wind direction that occurred just moments before the ground contact.
