The Manx2 commuter aircraft that crashed at Cork airport on 10 February killing the two pilots and four of the 10 passengers may have stalled on short final approach, according to the interim factual report from the Irish Air Accident Investigation Unit.
The AAIU says that 7s before impact a warning horn sounded, "which is believed to be the stall warning". The AAIU refers to a subsequent loss of control that led to a wingtip hitting the ground, after which the Fairchild SA227 Metro III came to rest inverted.
The Spanish-registered Metro (EC-ITP) had no autopilot or flight director, and the co-pilot was the pilot flying. The fatal approach was the third attempted with an instrument landing system, and the second for Runway 17. This runway has a Category II ILS, with a decision height of 100ft (30m), but the aircraft's decision height was 200ft.
When passing 200ft, the captain told the co-pilot to continue, and then called "go-around" just below 100ft.
Some 3s after the warning horn started, and just after the go-around call, says the AAIU, "recorded data shows that the aircraft rolled significantly to the left as the aircraft tracked towards the runway centreline. This was immediately followed by a rapid roll to the right which brought the right wingtip into contact with the runway surface."
Operation of the flight involved three separate undertakings: a Spanish holder of an air operator's certificate that conducted the flight, a ticket-seller (Manx2) based in the Isle of Man, and a second Spanish company that supplied the aircraft and flight crew under an agreement with the ticket-seller.
The AAIU says it will examine the organisation of the flight.
Source: Flight International
