Air Greenland Flight 3205
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.jpg) A De Havilland Canada Dash 8-200, similar to the accident aircraft. | |
| Incident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 29 January 2014 |
| Summary | Runway excursion due to landing gear collapse |
| Site |
|
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | de Havilland Canada Dash 8-202Q |
| Operator | Air Greenland |
| IATA flight No. | GL3205 |
| ICAO flight No. | GRL3205 |
| Call sign | GREENLAND 3205 |
| Registration | OY-GRI |
| Flight origin | Kangerlussuaq Airport (BGSF), Kangerlussuaq, Greenland |
| Destination | Ilulissat Airport (BGJN), Greenland |
| Occupants | 15 |
| Passengers | 12 |
| Crew | 3 |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 4 |
| Survivors | 15 |
Air Greenland Flight 3205 was a Greenland regional flight from Kangerlussuaq to Ilulissat. On 29 January 2014, the aircraft experienced a landing gear collapse and overran the runway while landing at Ilulissat Airport (BJGN). All 15 people on board survived. Four of the 12 passengers were taken to the hospital for observation; none suffered serious injuries.
Background
Aircraft
The aircraft involved in the accident was a de Havilland Canada Dash 8-202, registered as OY-GRI and manufactured in 1997.
Passengers and crew
The aircraft had a total of 15 people on board, twelve passengers and three crew members. The captain was 38 years old, and had a total of 4,201 flight hours, of which 739 were on the Dash 8. The first officer was 41 years old, and had a total of 1,592 flight hours, of which 1,022 were on this type of aircraft.
Accident
The aircraft departed Kangerlussuaq Airport at 8:06 am local time; while landing at Ilulissat Airport at 8:43 am local time, it touched down hard, causing the left main landing gear to collapse. Due to the landing gear collapse, the plane skidded leftward, continuing until it collided with the Precision Approach Path Indicator. The plane then went off the runway, toppling over a 10 meter drop-off, and came to rest in a rocky area. High winds of 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph) were present in the area.
All 15 people on board survived the crash, but four were taken to the hospital for observation; one suffered minor injuries. The pilots evacuated the aircraft through an emergency hatch in the cockpit, while the flight attendant and passengers needed help from ground crew to open a jammed emergency door. The de Havilland Canada Dash 8-202 suffered substantial damage to its nose section, wings, and fuselage; its gear was sheared off. It was written off as a total loss.
Investigation
Danish authorities launched an investigation into the accident and published their final report on 23 October 2014. According to the investigation, high crosswinds were present at the airport at the time of the accident. The crew didn't follow a stabilised approach adequate for those conditions, and instead descended fast and landed hard, causing the landing gear to collapse on touchdown. The pilots then continued to use the udder and didn't activate thrust reverser during landing, causing a loss of directional control and the eventual runway excursion.
The report described the pilots' mental condition as "wanting to land at all costs" and over-focusing on landing, while ignoring weather bulletins and other communications they received.
Aftermath
After the accident, Air Greenland modified its standard operating procedures to improve cockpit resource management. Modifications were made to procedures for landing in crosswinds, and specific training was introduced for landing at airports considered particularly difficult, such as Ilulissat Airport.
See also
- Atlantic Airways Flight 670 another runway excursion accident
- Air Greenland accidents and incidents
References
- 1 2 3 4 Hradecky, Simon (2014-10-25) [2014-01-29]. "Accident: Greenland DH8B at Ilulissat on Jan 29th 2014, runway excursion on landing". The Aviation Herald. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
- 1 2 "After Accident, Air Greenland Makes Safety Improvements". Aviation Week Network. Archived from the original on 2025-12-06. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
- 1 2 3 4 Ranter, Harro. "Accident de Havilland Canada DHC-8-202Q Dash 8 OY-GRI, Wednesday 29 January 2014". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
- 1 2 3 "Crash of a De Havilland DHC-8-202Q in Ilulissat". Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives. Archived from the original on 2025-12-06. Retrieved 2026-11-05.
- ↑ "Air Greenland: Dét ved vi om ulykken". www.sermitsiaq.ag. 29 January 2014. Archived from the original on 2026-09-01. Retrieved 2026-09-01.
- ↑ "Hård landing kan have ført til grønlandsk ulykke". www.check-in.dk. 3 March 2014. Archived from the original on 2026-09-01. Retrieved 2026-09-01.
- ↑ "Stort galleri: Her er det forulykkede fly". www.sermitsiaq.ag. 29 January 2014. Archived from the original on 2026-09-02. Retrieved 2026-09-01.
- ↑ "Piloter ignorerede kraftig sidevind under grønlandsk Dash 8-havari". www.ing.dk. 27 October 2014. Archived from the original on 2026-09-01. Retrieved 2026-09-01.