Date:	Friday 31 January 2020
Time:	21:06
Type:	Bombardier DHC-8-402Q Dash 8
Owner/operator:	WestJet Encore
Registration:	C-FKWE
MSN:	4467
Year of manufacture:	2014
Total airframe hrs:	13404 hours
Engine model:	Pratt & Whitney Canada PW150A
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 47
Aircraft damage:	Substantial, repaired
Category:	Accident
Location:	Terrace Airport, BC (YXT) -   Canada
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:	Vancouver International Airport, BC (YVR/CYVR)
Destination airport:	Terrace Airport, BC (YXT/CYXT)
Investigating agency:	TSB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
WestJet Encore flight 3107, a DHC-8-400, suffered a nose landing gear collapse on landing at Terrace Airport, Canada. It was snowing at the time of the accident.
During the landing roll on runway 33, the aircraft departed the cleared area of the runway to the left, contacted a windrow, travelled partially off the runway surface, returned to the runway and stopped. The damage to the aircraft included the nose wheel collapsing and damage to the right propeller blades.

The aircraft was ferried to Kelowna on May 27 and resumed service after final repairs on June 10, 2020.

Findings as to causes and contributing factors
1. Given the falling snow and the snow-covered runway, there were limited visual cues available to the flight crew, which decreased their ability to accurately judge the aircraft’s lateral position once it was beyond the threshold.
2. Snow clearing operations cleared the centre 100 feet of the runway, which resulted in windrows that were approximately 18 inches high along the edges of the cleared area. This reduced the pilot’s lateral manoeuvring room during the landing.
3. The aircraft initially touched down 10 feet left of the centreline due to control inputs and variable wind conditions and, while the aircraft was still in a light weight-on-wheels condition, a gust contributed to a further deviation to the left until the left main landing gear came into contact with the windrow.
4. As the left main landing gear impacted the windrow, the drag on that landing gear caused the aircraft to pull to the left, causing the nose and right main landing gear to also come into contact with the windrow.
5. During the runway excursion, snow and ice became packed in the nose landing gear bay and caused structural deformation. Consequently, the nose landing gear was no longer being held in place and collapsed rearward into the fuselage, causing substantial damage to the aircraft.

04:00 UTC / 20:00 local time:
CYXT 010400Z 35015G24KT 3/4SM -SN VV003 00/M00 A2903 RMK SN8 /S05/ SLP841

05:00 UTC / 21:00 local time:
CYXT 010500Z 03009KT 3/4SM -SN VV003 00/M00 A2903 RMK SN8 SLP841

05:23 UTC / 21:23 local time:
CYXT 010523Z 02010KT 3/4SM -SN VV003 00/M00 A2903 RMK SN8 SLP839

06:00 UTC / 22:00 local time:
CYXT 010600Z 35009G15KT 1SM -SN OVC010 00/00 A2905 RMK SN5SC3 /S08/ PRESRR SLP848

TSB A20P0013

Other occurrences involving this aircraft

19 July 2019	C-FKWE	WestJet Encore	0	Edmonton International Airport, AB (YEG)		sub
4 September 2022	C-FKWE	WestJet	0	25nm W of Moncton International Airport, NB (YQM/CYQM)		unk

photo (c) Leslie Snelleman; Vancouver International Airport, BC (YVR/CYVR); 27 May 2017

photo (c) René Verschuur; Vancouver International Airport, BC (YVR/CYVR); 07 August 2015

Date/time	Contributor	Updates