Iberia Flight 1456

Iberia Flight 1456 was a domestic scheduled flight from Barcelona-El Prat Airport to Bilbao Airport, Spain. On Wednesday, February 7, 2001, the Airbus A320 encountered a microburst-induced wind shear on final approach leading to the collapse of the aircraft's landing gear. All 143 passengers onboard survived; with 25 people suffering light injuries, and 1 person receiving serious injuries. The aircraft was irreparably damaged as a result of the ordeal and was decommissioned soon after, making it the ninth loss of an Airbus A320 at that time. This accident prompted Airbus to develop a fail-safe 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.

Iberia Flight 1456

An Iberia Airbus A320-200 similar to the accident aircraft
Accident
Date	7 February 2001
Summary	Microburst-induced wind shear, leading to a landing gear collapse and hard landing
Site	Bilbao Airport, Spain
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Airbus A320-200
Operator	Iberia
Registration	EC-HKJ
Flight origin	Barcelona-El Prat Airport, Spain
Destination	Bilbao Airport, Spain
Occupants	143
Passengers	136
Crew	7
Fatalities	0
Injuries	25
Survivors	143

Background

Aircraft

The aircraft involved was an Airbus A320-200, MSN 1278, registered as EC-HKJ, was manufactured for Iberia in 2000. It also first flew in 2000. At the time of the accident, it had flown 1,149 hours in 869 cycles. It was powered by two CFM International CFM56-5B4/P engines.

Cockpit crew

The captain was a 42-year-old Spanish male who 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 logged a total of 10,805 flight hours. The first officer was a 27-year-old Spanish male who held a Commercial Pilot License. He was qualified to fly Airbus A320 under 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.

Cabin crew

There were four flight attendants onboard.

Accident

On Wednesday, February 7, 2001, the Airbus A320 took off from Barcelona-El Prat Airport, Spain. The flight was uneventful 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.

Other damage

The runway received minor damage upon the aircraft's hard landing. Two runway edge lights were broken.

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.

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.