Date:	Sunday 9 June 2024
Time:	17:31
Type:	Airbus A320-214
Owner/operator:	Austrian Airlines
Registration:	OE-LBM
MSN:	1504
Year of manufacture:	2001
Total airframe hrs:	59838 hours
Cycles:	32755 flights
Engine model:	CFMI CFM56-5B4/P
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 179
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Minor, repaired
Category:	Incident
Location:	over Hartberg -   Austria
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:	Palma de Mallorca Airport (PMI/LEPA)
Destination airport:	Wien-Schwechat International Airport (VIE/LOWW)
Investigating agency:	UUS Austria
Confidence Rating:	Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities

Narrative:
Austrian Airlines flight OS434, an Airbus A320-214, encountered a severe hailstorm as it was descending through an altitude of about 20000 feet near Hartberg, Austria, about 100 km SSW of the destination Vienna International Airport (VIE). The nose cone sustained substantial damage and the windscreen suffered extensive damage.
OS434 departed from Palma de Mallorca Airport with the captain as Pilot Flying.
While en route near Bologna, a course change was requested to avoid a thunderstorm cell (CB). According to the captain, this cell was visible on the weather radar.
At 15:24:07, the crew contacted ACC Vienna and tow minutes later the descent for landing was initiated.
At this time, the weather radar was configured as follows: operating mode WX/TURB, Predictive Windshear mode AUTO, and the radar image was displayed on both navigation displays. According to the first officer, the weather radar was configured on his side with a range of 160 nm, GAIN: AUTO, TILT: -0.75 for a range of approximately 80 nm.
Over the Alps, the crew reported diffuse, overcast cloud layers. There were no indications (echoes) on the navigation displays suggesting thunderstorm or hail activity.
At approximately 15:28, the captain left the cockpit to use the restroom. Then at 15:30 the first officder contacted Wien Radar approach service. The descent continued until 15:31 when the aircraft flew into a thunderstorm cell with strong hail activity.
Between 15:31:05 and 15:31:45, moderate turbulence occurred, with peaks reaching up to 1.75 g vertically. According to the first officer, nothing was displayed on the weather radar. At 15:31:40, the crew reported the occurrence of heavy hail. At 15:31:47, CAS3 speed suddenly dropped from 339 kt to 317 kt, while CAS1 and CAS2 remained around 340 kt. This triggered F/CTL and ADR3 errors. At 15:32:20, CAS2 dropped from 312 kt to 221 kt, followed by a Master Warning. Autopilot 1, Flight Director 1 and 2, and Auto Thrust were automatically deactivated. Flight control (F/CTL) switched automatically to Alternate Law.
At 15:33, the captain reentered the flight deck and regained control of the aircraft as Pilot Flying. He issued Mayday call to Wien Radar, stating that the windshields were damaged.
During the approach, displayed speeds differed by 20-30 kt, according to the captain, and were cross-checked with GPS data. Autoland was unavailable and the captin had limited visibility of the runway due to the cracked windshield. The approach and landing were conducted via ILS.
The landing occurred at 15:55:15 without further incident.

During the incident, two hail suppression aircraft were operating below the updraft area of the thunderstorm cell in the Hartberg area. Their operation began approximately 45 minutes before the incident to introduce silver iodide (AgI), dissolved in acetone, into the thunderstorm cell. The goal was to mitigate potential severe hail on the ground.
Whether the silver iodide introduced into the thunderstorm cell affected the reflectivity relevant to the weather radar remains under investigation.

https://www.5min.at/5202406092116/flugzeugnase-von-hagel-stark-beschaedigt-pilot-landet-maschine-sicher/
https://bea.aero/en/investigation-reports/notified-events/detail/accident-to-the-airbus-a320-registered-oe-lbm-operated-by-austrian-airlines-on-09-06-2024-near-vienna/
https://x.com/exithamster/status/1799869949130740197?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Eembeddedtimeline%7Ctwterm%5Escreen-name%3Aflightradar24%7Ctwcon%5Es1
https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/oe-lbm#3598f16a
https://www.austrianwings.info/2024/06/kommentar-hagelflug-aua-434-chronologie-eines-hoellenritts/
https://www.flysto.net/logs/t55l9jbr?area=14.5716,17.2578,47.8521,46.7630&t=10274&view=2d&check=k4vv4

Preliminary Report (german)
https://www.bmk.gv.at/dam/jcr:983a1848-dabd-4043-9b1b-bbe2145c43c7/240609_Airbus_A320-214_Grafendorf_86076_VUB.pdf

After repairs the aircraft was test flown on 25 June 2024 and it resumed regular service the following day.

Other occurrences involving this aircraft


26 August 2014	OE-LBM	Austrian Airlines	0	Frankfurt International Airport (FRA/EDDF)		min
Collision with Ground support equipment

Photo: Bundesministerium für Klimaschutz, Umwelt, Energie, Mobilität, Innovation und Technologie, Sicherheitsuntersuchungsstelle des Bundes – Bereich Zivilluftfahrt

When you send off four besties and they end up being „attacked“ by hail, lose half of the cockpit nose and have their front windows shattered prior to arrival. #OS434 Palma to Vienna. Very pleased you all touched ground - alive. Thanks #austrian #aua #airlines pic.twitter.com/SHOUsUY5Wg

— Exithamster (@exithamster) June 9, 2024

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
09-Jun-2024 20:02	gerard57	Added
10-Jun-2024 05:18	Justanormalperson	Updated [Registration, Cn, Source, Damage, Narrative, ]
10-Jun-2024 05:20	ASN	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, ]
10-Jun-2024 05:25	ASN	Updated [Embed code, ]
10-Jun-2024 08:21	Anon.	Updated [Total occupants, Embed code, ]
10-Jun-2024 09:00	ASN	Updated [Time, Total occupants, Location, Phase, Narrative, ]
11-Jun-2024 07:49	MartinaRiehm	Updated [Source, ]
22-Jun-2024 06:07	Anon.	Updated [Source, ]
12-Jul-2024 11:59	ASN	Updated [Source, ]
17-Dec-2024 12:31	stefan	Updated [Source, Narrative, ]
17-Dec-2024 12:37	ASN	Updated [Total occupants, Damage, Narrative, Accident report, ]
17-Dec-2024 14:14	ASN	Updated [Narrative, ]
17-Dec-2024 18:20	ASN	Updated [Photo, ]
17-Dec-2024 18:22	ASN	Updated [Photo, ]