TSB orders more training following incident involving plane in Calgary

The belly of a DHC-8-402 Westjet Encore plane was damaged when the first officer on the flight over corrected the pitch, exceeding the safety limits for the aircraft, the TSB said. (Supplied/TSB)

The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) says an incident that involved a Westjet plane hitting the runway in Calgary earlier this year was connected to an issue with pilot training on a particular model of aircraft.

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At approximately 2:30 p.m. on April 13, a DHC-8-402 aircraft, operated by Westjet Encore, came in for a landing at Calgary International Airport.

In a report, the TSB said the aft fuselage of the plane struck the runway, causing damage to the belly of the aircraft.

No one was injured and all passengers deplaned normally, but the plane was taken out of service following the incident.

An investigation was launched after the incident, which looked at the flight crew, weather and the plane itself to explain what happened.

As a result, the TSB found the issue was connected to a series of incidents involving DHC-8 aircraft that were first reported more than 20 years ago.

What led to the strike

In an online report, the TSB said the first officer on the flight switched off the autopilot and took the controls at 500 feet above ground level.

While the aircraft descended, the captain on the flight instructed the first officer to increase power three times and adjust the plane's pitch for proper landing, but the safe limit was exceeded just before the plane touched down, the TSB said.

"Two seconds before touchdown, the pitch attitude increased from five degrees to 8.3 degrees and the power levers were advanced," it said.

The contact with the runway caused "substantial damage" to the plane, consisting of "deformed frames and stringers" and holes in the fuselage.

The TSB said the plane's tail strike switch was also knocked off.

In its investigation, the agency said following similar incidents involving DHC-8 aircraft beginning in 2003, the plane's manufacturer produced a training video.

"The video stresses the importance of monitoring the aircraft's pitch and managing its energy by controlling an excessive rate of descent by applying engine power rather than increasing pitch near the ground," the TSB said.

"When the main landing gear oleos are compressed during a hard landing, the fuselage of the DHC-8-400 touches the ground at approximately seven degrees pitch."

Five years later, aft fuselage strikes were still occurring, the TSB said, so a service letter was released to DHC-8-400 operators, reiterating the importance of pitch awareness.

"The letter recommended including standard five and six-degree pitch awareness calls in the procedures and managing the rate of descent below 200 feet above ground level with the power levers.

"The service letter also referred to the training video and suggested that operators offer initial and recurrent training on pitch awareness."

In its investigation of the April incident, the TSB, said the pitch increase occurred in less than two seconds before touchdown.

Safety measures undertaken

In the wake of the incident, both the captain and first officer on the affected flight were ordered to complete additional flight simulator training, focusing on pitch awareness, prior to any other flying duties, the TSB said.

Westjet Encore also amended its pilot training courses to include more emphasis on pitch awareness, landing technique and other procedures.

In addition to the April incident, there have been 13 other aft fuselage strikes reported to the TSB on DHC-9 aircraft since 2002.

Six of those have been for the 400 series.