14 September 1993 - Lufthansa 2904

Lufthansa Flight 2904 was an Airbus A320-200, registration D-AIPN, which overran the runway, in Okecie International Airport on 14 September 1993. It was a flight from Frankfurt, Germany to Warsaw, Poland.

Lufthansa Flight 2904 was cleared to land at Okecie International Airport Rwy 11 and was informed of the existence of windshear on the approach. To compensate for the crosswind, the pilots attempted to touch down with the aircraft banked slightly to the right. Additionally they landed with a speed about 20 knots (37 km/h) faster than usual. According to the manual, this was the correct procedure for the reported weather conditions. But the weather report was not up to date. At the moment of touch down, the assumed crosswind turned out to be a tailwind. Due to the tailwind of approximately 20 knots (37 km/h) and the increased speed the airplane hit the ground at approximately 170 knots (310 km/h) and far beyond the normal touch down point. The aircraft's right gear touched down 770 m from the runway 11 threshold. The left gear touched down 9 seconds later, 1525 m from the threshold. Only when the left gear touched the runway did the ground spoilers and engine thrust reversers deploy, these automatic systems depending on oleo strut (shock absorber) compression. The wheel brakes, triggered by wheel rotation being equal to or greater than 72 knots (133 km/h) began to operate after about 4 seconds.

Seeing the approaching end of the runway and the obstacle behind it, the pilot steered the aircraft off the runway to the right. The aircraft departed the runway at a speed of 72 knots (133 km/h) and rolled 90 m before it hit the embankment and an LLZ aerial with the left wing. A fire started in the left wing area and penetrated into the passenger cabin.

Two of 70 occupants died in this accident, including the co-pilot who died on impact and one passenger who was unable to escape because he lost consciousness as a result of the smoke in the cabin.

Transcript of the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR)

Legenda:
PF: Pilot Flying
PNF: Pilot-non-flying
PUR: Purser
TWR: Tower
APP: Approach
PJS101: Jet Aviation Flight 101
VR-BIZ: bizjet

15.29:10 TWR Lufthansa two-nine-zero-four, turn right zero-eight-zero to lock on ILS one-one, cleared approach as number 2, call when established, two-four kilometers to go
15.29:19 PNF Zero-eight-zero and cleared the ILS, Lufthansa two-nine-zero-four
15.29:23 PF (Four?) hundred
15.29:24 APP Jetaviation one-zero-one, you are cleared to land runway one-one, wind is one-six-zero degrees, two-five kilometers an hour
15.29:29 PF Flaps two
15.29:31 PJS101 Cleared to land runway one-one, Jetaviation one-zero-one
15.29:38 PNF (Noch hundert?) ((still one hundred?))
15.29:40   Klack - bist leicht übern glideslope (clack - you are slightly above glideslope)
15.29:42 PF Stimmt (correct)
15.29:46 PNF Ungefähr eine daumenbreite (about one thumb's breadth)
15.29;47 APP ?transmission in Polish language
15.29:52 PUR Kabine ist klar (cabin is clear)
  PF Danke (thank you)
15.29:55   Clack (door)
15.29:58 PF Sonst schaffe ich das nicht (otherwise I won't manage it)
15.30:03 PNF ... gute idee (.. good idea)
15.30:06 PNF Gear down
15.30:07 PF Gear down
15.30:08   (lever- and extension noise)
15.30:14   (gong - altitude warning)
15.30:16 PF Jetzt hat er ihn [glideslope] (it's captured now)
15.30:17 PNF Genau (exactly)
15.30:23 PF Dreitausendachthundert [missed approach altitude] (three thousand eight hundred)
  VR-BIZ Victor India Zulu, standing by for lower
15.30:27 APP ... -Z, maintain one-four-zero due to military activity area
15.30:33 APP Jetaviation one-zero-one, you've landed three-zero, call tower one-two-one point six, thank you, bye bye
15.30:45 PNF Lufthanse two-nine-zero-four is established
15.30:48 APP Lufthanse two-nine-zero-four continue ILS approach runway one-one sa number one, call tower one-two-one point six, thank you, see you later
15.30:56 PNF Roger, one-six, bye bye
15.31:00 PNF Tower, good afternoon, Lufthansa two-nine-zero-four ILS runway one-one
15.31:07 TWR Lufthansa two-nine-zero-four, continued ILS approach, call me Outer Marker, wind one-six-zero degrees two-five kilometers per hour and before landing, eh it was report windshear on the final runway one-one
15.31:18 PF Windshear
15.31:21 PNF Roger, that's understood, I call you Outer Marker
15.31:24   Click
15.31:25 PF Flaps three
15.31:26 PNF Flaps three
  PJS101 Warsaw tower, good evening, Jetaviation one-zero-one is vacting runway one-one on taxiway E-zero, for information we had severe windshears on final
15.31:29 PF Flaps full
15.31:30 PNF Flaps full
15.31:31 PNF Muss ja sein, noch haben wir zwei-vierzig mit dreissig knoten (it's got to be like that, we still have two-forty with thirty knots
15.31:36 TWR Thank you very much for information, Jetaviation one-zero-one, vacate to the left via taxiway A and continue a straight ahead and report follow car when will be in sight
15.31:47 PJS101 Jetaviation one-zero-one, going straight in A and ah we look for the follow me car
15.31:48 PNF Aha, showers
15.31:55 PF Showers
15.32;05 TWR Lufthansa two-nine-zero-four, you are cleared to land runway one-one, wind one-six-zero degrees, two-five kilometers per hour
15.32:11 PNF Cleared to land, one one, Lufthansa two-nine-zero-four
15.32:14 PF Dreht ja noch ordentlich (still turning a lot)
15.32:16 PNF Muss ja drehen (it has got to turn)
15.32:17 PF Muss ja, das kann ja gar nicht anders sein (it's got to, it can't be anything else)
15.32:23 PNF Gut (good)
15.32:27 PF Mach bitte mal die ignition an (please switch on the ignition)
15.32:32 PNF Landing checklist available
15.32:33 PF Landing checklist
15.32:36 PNF Landing
15.32:37 PNF Landing, all green
15.32:38 PF Landing, all green
15.32:42 ?? ... ... minimum ...
15.32:50 PJS101 Follow me in sight, one-zero-one
15.32:53 TWR Jetaviation one-zero-one, roger, follow the car messages, good bye
15.32:57 PNF Field in sight
15.32:58 PF Visual
15.33:00 PF Immer noch von achtern (still from the aft)
15.33:02 PF Rate of descent is out of limits
15.33:03 PNF Ja, elf hundert fuss (yes, eleven hundred feet)
15.33:05   (whistle - seat)
15.33:08 PF Rain repellent, bitte (rain repellent, please)
15.33:10   (noise of windscreen wiper)
15.33:15 ACO Four hundred
15.33:20 ACO Three hundred
15.33:26 ACO Two hundred
  TWR transmission in Polish language
15.33:29 PNF Von rechts kommt jetzt (from the right coming now)
15.33:31 PF Jetzt kommt die windshear (windshear is coming up)
15.33:33 ACO One hundred
15.33:36 PNF Dreht, dreht (turning, turning)
15.33:37 ACO Fifty
15.33:39 ACO Thirty
15.33:40 ACO Retard, retard
15.33:45   Clack (reverse lever noise?)
15.33:49 PF Brems mal mit (help me braking)
15.33:52 PF Full braking
15.33:56 PNF Reverse auf? (reverse on?)
15.33:57 PF Ja's voll (yes fully on0
15.33:58   Clack
15.34:01 PNF Hundert (hundred)
15.34:02 PF Weiter bremsen (go on with braking)
15.34:05 PF Scheisse (shit)
15.34:06 PF Was machen wir jetzt? (what shall we do now?)
15.34:08 PNF (Tja?) du kannst nix mehr machen ((Well?) you can't do anything anymore)
15.34:10 PF Ich möcht nicht da gegen knallen (I don't want to crash into it)
15.34:11 PNF Dreh'n weg (turn it away)
15.34:12 PF Was? (Hey?)
  PNF Dreh ihn weg (turn it away)
15.34:16 PF Scheisse! (shit!)
15.34:17   noise of crash

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