SM2934 - Incident: Cairo A20N at Hanover on Oct 14th 2023

An Air Cairo Airbus A320-200N, registration SU-BUM performing flight SM-2934 (dep Oct 13th) from Hurghada (Egypt) to Hanover (Germany) with 172 passengers and 9 crew, landed on Hanover's runway 27L at 03:32L (01:32Z) but temporarily veered left off the runway. The aircraft returned onto the runway center line and stopped on the runway. After a brief stop the aircraft taxied to the apron.

The aircraft remained on the ground in Hanover until October 25th 2023, then positioned to Cairo and is now still on the ground in Cairo about 19.5 hours after landing in Cairo.

On Oct 26th 2023 Germany's BFU reported the occurrence was rated a serious incident and is being investigated. The aircraft sustained minor damage when it suffered a runway excursion.

On Feb 1st 2024 the BFU reported in their preliminary report that the captain was pilot flying and the first officer was pilot monitoring. The crew decided for an ILS approach to runway 27L because a thunderstorm cell was closing in towards the approach path of runway 27R, that the crew had intended to land on. While intercepting the localizer for runway 27L the crew observed an area of rain and turbulence nearing their approach path on the weather radar, ATC reported the cell was already overhead the aerodrome, visibility was down to 3400 meters, there were headwinds almost along the runway of 23 knots gusting up to 34 knots. The aircraft received landing clearance and was descending on the glideslope with the runway lights in sight. Gear was down and full flaps extended at 2350 feet MSL, autobrakes were set to MED and ground spoilers were armed. Both autopilots and flight directors were active in LOC and G/S modes, autothrust was in managed speed.

Descending through 500 feet AGL rain started, the windscreen wipers were selected on at fast speed. At 260 feet AGL the autopilots were disengaged, autothrust remained engaged. The aircraft crossed the runway threshold at 36 feet AGL at 132 KIAS about 4 meters to the left of the runway centerline. The crew said that at this time the visibility was good and the runway was clearly visible. However, in the flare the rain intensity increased and visibility reduced, the windscreen wipers were no longer able to clear the water off the windscreen, the center line and edge lights became blurred. The captain stated that it is possible therefore that he confused the runway edge lights for the runway center line lights. According to FDR the flare lasted for 11 seconds, the first officer called out "Bank" after the bank angle increased from 2 degrees left to 5 degrees left. The left main gear touched down first on the grass besides the runway, the right main gear touched down on the runway shortly afterwards before going off the paved surface of the runway, too. The captain used right rudder and the LOC indication to steer the aircraft back onto the runway, the visibility improved again and sight onto the runway became sufficient again, so that the captain steered the aircraft back onto the center line visually. The maximum distance of the left main gear to the runway center line was 33 meters (100 feet).

Related Flight: SM2934, Air Cairo News