Czech investigators state that a Turkish Airlines Airbus A321neo’s crew made dual inputs while attempting to execute a go-around at Prague, during which the jet sustained a tail-strike.
The aircraft had been carrying out an ILS approach to runway 12, with the first officer as the flying pilot, on 11 May.
Czech investigation authority UZPLN says that, while the aircraft carried out a stable approach in visual conditions, the touchdown was performed with insufficient flare.
The twinjet landed hard and the captain felt a go-around was necessary to avoid a further “unwanted bounce”, it adds.
Although the captain instructed a go-around three times, they did not take control of the aircraft as directed by standard procedures, and this led to dual inputs – a summing of the commands from the first officer’s and captain’s sidesticks.
UZPLN says this resulted in a substantial nose-up pitch – a “large longitudinal inclination” of the aircraft – and caused its aft fuselage to strike the runway, leaving a 15m score mark and damaging the tail section.
French investigation authority BEA had previously identified the airframe involved as TC-LSL (MSN9000), a five-year old jet fitted with Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engines. None of the occupants was injured.
BEA is also participating in a tail-strike probe involving another Turkish A321neo (TC-LTG), under similar circumstances, which occurred in Dublin on 1 July.
