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| Date: | Tuesday 10 July 2001 |
| Time: | 12:26 |
| Type: |  Antonov An-12BP |
| Owner/operator: | Air Sofia |
| Registration: | LZ-SFK |
| MSN: | 4341901 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 9 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial, repaired |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Exeter Airport (EXT/EGTE) -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Cargo |
| Departure airport: | Casablanca-Mohamed V Airport (CMN/GMMN) |
| Exeter Airport (EXT/EGTE) | |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The aircraft had flown from Casablanca to Exeter carrying 7.7 tonnes of freight. The maximum permitted landing weight for the aircraft was 58 tonnes and the actual landing weight was 51 tonnes. The weather at Exeter airport was; surface wind 250°, variable between 220° and 280°, at 11 kt, 5,000 metres in rain showers with cloud FEW at 800 feet, SCT at 1,600 feet and BKN at 2,500 feet with the runway surface reported as damp.
At FL 260 the autopilot was disconnected and the First Officer (FO), who was undergoing line training flew the aircraft. ATC provided radar vectors for an ILS to Runway 26. On the base leg the aircraft entered a heavy shower and conditions became turbulent but the aircraft was accurately flown to intercept the ILS localiser. The aircraft commander had briefed the FO to carry out the approach, which was to be flown manually with the commander following through on the controls.
It was the commander's intention to land the aircraft himself with the FO following through. The aircraft was configured with 35° of landing flap and the landing gear was confirmed as locked down. The approach was stabilised at an approach speed of 270 kph and at about 800 feet the crew saw the approach lights. Due to the heavy rain and despite the windscreen wipers being selected on, the forward visibility was poor and the crew continued flying on instruments down to decision height (DH) of 200 feet. In order to maintain the glide slope, power was reduced below the 45% torque normally required. After DH the approach was continued visually, aiming to touch down at a point near the threshold of Runway 26. At approximately 50 feet the commander took control and the aircraft nose pitched up. He found that the aircraft had a marked nose up trim, which required a large force on the control column to overcome in order to adjust to the correct landing attitude. The commander closed the throttles and the aircraft landed on the main landing gear, bounced a short distance before touching down a second time. The right main landing gear collapsed during the landing roll and the right wing tip sank to the ground as the speed reduced. The No.4 engine propeller contacted the runway surface and the aircraft left the runway in a gentle arc to the right some 500 metres from the runway threshold. It came to a stop on a grass area north of Runway 26 and adjacent to the northern taxiway approximately 800 metres from the touch down point. The crew carried out the emergency shut down drills and vacated the aircraft through a side door in the cargo hold. The airfield Rescue and Fire Fighting Service attended immediately.
The commander assessed the cause of the accident as an abrupt change of wind direction and speed on the final approach after crossing the threshold. Additionally a breakdown in the co-ordination between the commander and FO in allowing the aircraft to become so markedly trimmed nose up had occurred. He also considered that the 3.5° glide path combined with his aiming for a point before the ILS touch down zone might also have added to the aircraft's high rate of descent.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5422ec3540f0b613460000e5/dft_avsafety_pdf_501831.pdf
https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/5846695 (Photo)
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 22-Mar-2025 20:27 | Justanormalperson | Added |
| 22-Mar-2025 20:28 | ASN | Updated [Narrative, Accident report, ] |
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