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| Date: | Saturday 23 April 2016 |
| Time: | 22:11 |
| Type: |  Boeing 737-8FE (WL) |
| Owner/operator: | Virgin Australia Airlines |
| Registration: | VH-YIW |
| MSN: | 40700/5085 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2014 |
| Engine model: | CFMI CFM56-7B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Minor |
| Location: | Faleolo International Airport (APW/NSFA), Upolu -
 Samoa
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Auckland International Airport (AKL/NZAA) |
| Apia-Faleolo Airport (APW/NSFA) | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
A Virgin Australia Boeing 737-800 aircraft, registered VH-YIW, was being operated as flight VA91 from Auckland, New Zealand to Apia, Samoa. During the final approach and landing at Faleolo International Airport, the weather conditions consisted of heavy rain and gusting winds. The crew reported touching down firmly, making first contact on the right main gear.
The return flight to Auckland was cancelled and the airplane was ferried to Auckland as flight VA9552 on April 24.
On the morning of April 25 the aircraft operated flight VA152 from Auckland to Brisbane, Australia. The following day, the incident airplane operated a return trip from Brisbane to Port Moresby, arriving at back at Brisbane at 16:44 local time.
A routine flight data review by Virgin Australia on 26 April 2016 identified that a firm landing had taken place, consistent with the landing at Apia. The aircraft was inspected and a pod strike was identified on the No. 2 (right) engine.
The ATSB was notified of the hard landing on 26 April 2016 and initiated an investigation.
The incident aircraft was still on the ground at Brisbane by 30 April 16.
The investigation identified the following contributory factors:
The aircraft drifted left during short final in heavy rain on an approach at night. The pilot flying started to correct the drift, however the aircraft was not flared and the wings were not level as it touched down. This led to the nose and right wing being low, resulting in an engine nacelle strike.
Due to heavy rain, darkness and limited visual cues, the flight crew did not detect the aircraft's banked, nose-low attitude immediately prior to landing which increased the likelihood of an engine nacelle strike.
The operator’s pre-flight external inspection procedure mandated that flight crew check under the engine nacelle for damage. This was not routinely done by flight crew and not included in the flight crew training material.
Although the operator had a maintenance task card for daily inspections of the Boeing 737, it did not contain a specific requirement to inspect underneath the engine nacelle. This contributed to the damage to the right engine nacelle not being identified during in post-occurrence maintenance inspections.
A further risk factor was:
Due to limited sleep in the previous 24 hours, the captain was probably experiencing a level of fatigue that has been demonstrated to adversely influence performance.
Sources:
http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2016/aair/ao-2016-042/
http://aerossurance.com/safety-management/b738-engine-nacelle-strike-hf/
https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/vh-yiw/#97fcb5d
Location
Media:
#ATSB: In heavy rain, darkness and with limited visual cues this B737 drifted just before touchdown and a nacelle grazed the runway. But the damage was not detected for several days.https://t.co/LWdpnGcOeS #accidentinvestigation #flightsafety #aviationsafety #humanfactors pic.twitter.com/WAtvVUiemw
— Aerossurance (@Aerossurance) August 10, 2020
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 30-Apr-2016 19:54 | harro | Added |
| 30-Apr-2016 19:58 | harro | Updated [Time, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 10-Aug-2020 19:40 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source, Narrative, ] |
| 10-Aug-2020 21:41 | Aerossurance | Updated [Embed code, ] |
| 26-Nov-2021 00:26 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location, Embed code, ] |
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