Narrative:
An Airbus A320-232, registered LZ-MDB, sustained substantial damage during a tail strike accident upon landing at Leipzig Airport (LEJ) in Germany. There were no injuries among the 155 occupants.
The plane performed flight 501 from Varna, Bulgaria. The en route and descent part of the flight were uneventful and the flight was cleared for an ILS approach to runway 08R at Leipzig. According to the captain the airplane crossed the runway threshold at a height of 50-60 feet at a speed of 130 knots. The airplane then touched down hard (+1.9 g) and bounced, reaching a height of about 3-4 feet. During the second touchdown, at +1.45 g, the airplane suffered a tailstrike. The first touch down occurred at a speed of 118 knots, the second touchdown at 114 knots.
The aft bulkhead was damaged, necessitating the tail fin to be lifted during repairs. Under repair at Fokker Services (Woensdrecht, The Netherlands).
Runway mishap
| Status: | Accident Investigation report not yet completed, but information verified through authorities or other sources. |
| Date: | Friday 4 July 2014 |
| Time: | 12:56 |
| Type: |  Airbus A320-232 |
| Operator: | Air VIA |
| Registration: | LZ-MDB |
| MSN: | 3125 |
| First flight: | 2007-04-06 (7 years 3 months) |
| Engines: | 2 IAE V2527-A5 |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 6 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 149 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 155 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Aircraft fate: | Repaired |
| Location: | Leipzig Airport (LEJ) ( Germany)
|
| Phase: | Landing (LDG) |
| Nature: | International Scheduled Passenger |
| Departure airport: | Varna Airport (VAR/LBWN), Bulgaria |
| Leipzig Airport (LEJ/EDDP), Germany | |
| Flightnumber: | VL501 |
An Airbus A320-232, registered LZ-MDB, sustained substantial damage during a tail strike accident upon landing at Leipzig Airport (LEJ) in Germany. There were no injuries among the 155 occupants.
The plane performed flight 501 from Varna, Bulgaria. The en route and descent part of the flight were uneventful and the flight was cleared for an ILS approach to runway 08R at Leipzig. According to the captain the airplane crossed the runway threshold at a height of 50-60 feet at a speed of 130 knots. The airplane then touched down hard (+1.9 g) and bounced, reaching a height of about 3-4 feet. During the second touchdown, at +1.45 g, the airplane suffered a tailstrike. The first touch down occurred at a speed of 118 knots, the second touchdown at 114 knots.
The aft bulkhead was damaged, necessitating the tail fin to be lifted during repairs. Under repair at Fokker Services (Woensdrecht, The Netherlands).
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Classification:
TailstrikeRunway mishap
Sources:
» BFUPhotos
Video, social media
NEWS An Air Via A320 suffering a significant tail strike while landing
at Leipzig http://t.co/RRmDG6gch2 pic.twitter.com/ujxpscAjGX
— AirLive.net (@airlivenet) July 6, 2014Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Varna Airport to Leipzig Airport as the crow flies is 1471 km (919 miles).
Distance from Varna Airport to Leipzig Airport as the crow flies is 1471 km (919 miles).
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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