An Indian investigation has found that Jabalpur airport failed to conduct required inspections and maintain its boundaries, allowing wildlife to stray onto the runway and collide with a landing SpiceJet Bombardier Q400 in 2015.
The aircraft, registered VT-SUC, was operating a flight from Mumbai with 49 passengers, two cabin crew and two pilots on-board on 4 December 2015 when the accident occurred around dawn.
Five or six seconds after touching down, the aircraft struck a heard of wild boars on the runway, causing the left main landing gear to collapse. That resulted in the left propeller shearing off and the nose gear collapsing, after which the aircraft exited the runway and came to rest on soft ground.
Nobody was injured in the accident, but Flight Fleets Analyzer shows that the aircraft was subsequently written-off.
India’s Air Accident Investigation Board found that the accident was caused by the boars, but stated that the airport failed to maintain a number of boundary walls and the vegetation around them. This allowed the animals to make it onto the operational surface.
It recommended that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation “reiterate instructions to all aerodrome operators” to comply with its requirements to maintain boundary walls and fences, as required under their licenses.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
