Boeing 767 N641GT accident near Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Probable cause

an improper landing flare technique and the lack of the appropriate bounced landing recovery procedure.

NTSB analysis

On July 27, 2018, about 0452 eastern daylight time, Atlas Air Incorporated flight 8601, a Boeing 767, N641GT, experienced a hard landing at Portsmouth International Airport at Pease, (KPSM), Portsmouth, New Hampshire. There were no injuries to the 250 passengers and crew onboard. The airplane was substantially damaged. The non-scheduled supplemental international passenger flight was operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 from Frankfurt-Hahn Airport (HHN), Hahn, Germany, to KPSM.

The captain, a line check-airman, was the pilot monitoring and the first officer was the pilot flying and was completing his first operational evaluation. The takeoff, cruise and descent were normal. Visual meteorological conditions with light winds prevailed at the time of the landing. As the FO initiated the landing flare, the airplane became slightly high on the approach path (1 red and 3 white on the Precision Approach Path Indicators). According to the operator, the airplane touched down with limited flare and the engines were at nearly 50% N1, which inhibited the speedbrakes from deploying. The Quick Access Recorder (QAR) data indicated that the airplane porpoised five times down the runway. The maximum load factor recorded during landing bounces was about 2 g’s.

Post landing inspection of the airplane found visibly wrinkled, dented and creased skin in the forward fuselage upper crown area, deformation to the nose wheel-well side web, and buckling/fracture of multiple frames and stringers.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for DCA18CA252 for the full record.