Iberia Airlines Flight 1456

Iberia Airlines Flight 1456 was a scheduled flight from Barcelona-El Prat Airport, Spain, to Bilbao Airport, Spain. On Wednesday, February 7, 2001, the Airbus A320, which took off from Barcelona-El Prat Airport, Spain, encountered a microburst induced wind shear on final approach to Bilbao Airport, Spain. The wind shear caused the plane's landing gear to collapse. All 143 occupants on the aircraft survived, but 25 people were injured; one seriously. The aircraft was substantially damaged and written off, making it the ninth loss of an Airbus A320. This accident prompted Airbus to develop a modification for its flight control software by preventing the airplane's built-in protection against stall from being activated by a high rate of change for the angle of attack.[1]

Iberia Airlines Flight 1456
An Iberia Airlines Airbus A320-200 similar to the accident aircraft
Accident
Date7 February 2001
SummaryMicroburst-induced wind shear, leading to a landing gear collapse and hard landing
SiteBilbao Airport, Spain
Aircraft
Aircraft typeAirbus A320-200
OperatorIberia Airlines
RegistrationEC-HKJ
Flight originBarcelona-El Prat Airport, Spain
DestinationBilbao Airport, Spain
Occupants143
Passengers136
Crew7
Fatalities0
Injuries25
Survivors143

Aircraft

The aircraft was manufactured for Iberia in 2000. It had also made its first flight in 2000. At the time of the accident, it had flown for 1,149 hours and 869 cycles. The aircraft was equipped with 2 CFMI CFM56-5B4/P engines.[2]:5–6

Crew Members

There were three cockpit crew and four cabin crew.

Cockpit Crew

The captain was a 42-year old Spanish male and held an Airline Transport Pilot License. He was qualified to fly Airbus A320 aircraft under instrument flight rules (IFR). At the time of the accident, he had a total of 10,805 flight hours. The first officer was a 27-year old Spanish male and held a Commercial Pilot License. He was qualified to fly Airbus A320 under instrument flight rules (IFR). At the time of the accident, he had a total of 2,670 flight hours. The trainee pilot, who flew under supervision, was a 24-year old Spanish male and held a Commercial Pilot License. At the time of the accident, he had a total of 423 flight hours.[2]:3–4

Cabin Crew

There were four flight attendants on the aircraft.[2]:5

Accident

On Wednesday, February 7, 2001, the Airbus A320 took off from Barcelona-El Prat Airport, Spain. The flight was normal until the final approach to Bilbao Airport. The Airbus encountered a microburst induced wind shear on final approach to the airport. The crew decided to perform a go-around, but the aircraft failed to respond, causing the plane's landing gear to collapse. A subsequent emergency evacuation was carried out. All 143 occupants on the aircraft survived, but 25 people were injured during the evacuation. One crew member and 23 passengers suffered minor injuries, while a female passenger was seriously injured. Seven injured passengers were taken to hospitals. The three pilots were not injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged and written off, making it the ninth hull loss of an Airbus A320.[1][2]:2–3

Other Damage

The runway received minor damage upon the aircraft's hard landing. Two runway edge lights were broken.[2]:3

Investigation

The Civil Aviation Accident and Incident Investigation Commission (CIAIAC) immediately launched an investigation into the accident, which took 5 years and 9 months. The investigation by the CIAIAC concluded:

The activation of the angle of attack protection system, which, under a particular combination of vertical gusts and windshear and the simultaneous actions of both crew members on the sidesticks, not considered in the design, prevented the plane from pitching up and flaring during the landing.[1]

Aftermath

This accident prompted Airbus to develop a modification for its flight control software by preventing the airplane's built-in protection against stall from being activated by a high rate of change for the angle of attack. Following this accident, the CIAIAC made four safety recommendations.[3]

References
  1. Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 3 June 2020.
  2. "Final report of EC-HKJ in English" (PDF). Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  3. "Airbus A320 Accident, Bilbao Airport, Spain, 2001". SkyBary Aero. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
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