AVIATION/ DENMARK UPDATES ON FLUGFELAG FL223

The Danish Havarikommission has released its Preliminary Report into the accident involving a FLUGFELAG AIR ICELAND Dash 8-100 at Nuuk, Greenland, on March 4, 2011. On that date, Flight 223 was on service from Reykjavik, Iceland, to Nuuk, Greenland, with 31 passengers and 3 crew members onboard. The Dash was scheduled for the flight on March 3, however due to poor weather in Nuuk, it was canceled until the next day. On March 4, the Dash departed Reykjavik, but was diverted to Kulusuk, due to the weather in Nuuk. Shortly thereafter, the weather improved and the aircraft departed for Nuuk. Upon landing the runway 23 at Nuuk, the Dash veered right off the runway and struck a rocky embankment while landing in difficult gusting wind conditions around 1:00pm. No one onboard was injured, however the Dash sustained substantial damage to its nose, propellers and engines. The right hand main gear also collapsed. In its Preliminary Report, the Havirikcommission said that the Captain was Pilot flying from Kulusuk to Nuuk. Sondrestrom Flight Information Center told the flight crew that winds at Nuuk were coming from 160 degrees at 33 knots gusting 48 knots, the visibility was 3000 meters in snow, patches of fog, low drifting snow, few clouds at 1600 feet, broken cloud at 2800 feet, and that the temperature was -0C. The Center reported that only 1 aircraft had arrived and departed Nuuk that day. About 5 minutes later, the Center informed the crew about a SIGMET that had just arrived indicating severe turbulence from surface to 8000 feet at Nuuk, and updated the SIGMET 2 minutes later stating that the turbulence was forecast from surface to 7000 feet and turbulence was weakening. 10 minutes later, another aircraft requested startup at Nuuk, Nuuk AFIS reported runway 23 in use, winds from 180 at 29 knots gusting 43 knots, 25% of runway covered with 1mm compacted snow and 50% of runway covered with loose fine snow. Braking action was reported at 55-55-50. Moments later, the crew of Flight 223 checked in with AFIS and were told: winds from 170 degrees at 24 knots gusting 43 knots, visibility 4000 meters in light to moderate blowing snow. The crew was told about 2 other aircraft flying in the Nuuk area. The crew confirmed of hearing the runway information transmitted to the other start up aircraft. The crew then made visual contact with the runway and decided to deviate to the right off the offset Localizer runway 23 and approached the runway from a position right of the runway center line aiming to touch down between threshold and touch down zone. About 3 miles from touchdown, the crew of Flight 223 reported position and were told no aircraft on the runway, winds from 180, variable from 140 to 220 degrees, at 17 knots gusting 42 knots. The aircraft made a final right turn over the runway threshold. The Dash then touched down between threshold and touch down zone to the left of the runway center line, with a right bank of more than 11 degrees, a sink rate of more than 780 feet per minute and a vertical acceleration of 3.9G as the aircraft touched down. The right main landing gear shock strut fuse pin sheared and the right main landing gear collapsed, the aircraft skidded down the runway and exited the runway to the right. The nose landing gear separated from the aircraft as the aircraft entered unpaved surface. The Dash came to rest on a rocky area right of runway 23. The investigation continues.