On 8 April, a TAP Air Portugal Airbus A320 (registered CS-TNV) performed flight TP754 between Lisbon, Portugal and Copenhagen, Denmark. The aircraft carried 102 passengers and 7 crew members. During the short final approach at Copenhagen, the speed of the aircraft sharply dropped, forcing the pilots to perform a go-around. Website The Aviation Herald reports that the Airbus flew just above the airport perimetre and houses of the Maglebylille community. The pilots were able to slowly recover the loss of speed and landed on another runway 20 minutes later.
Yesterday, Denmark’s Havarikommissionen (HCL, Danish Accident Investigation Board) reported they rated the occurrence a serious incident and opened an investigation. Preliminary results suggest there was no abnormal ground contact like a wing or engine pod strike, and the aircraft remained undamaged. The HCL subsequently clarified that there are no visual indications or marks indicating the wing or engine made ground contact.
The same day, TAP Air Portugal reported the incident due to technical reasons while already over the runway. TAP is fully collaborating with the investigation. The airline does not have any report of damage to the aircraft. The flight trajectory and performance are being analysed in the safety investigation. The aircraft is going to return to Lisbon later today.
Source: Alvorlig hændelse i Københavns Lufthavn (BT.dk)
Further reports from the HCL indicate that the aircraft was already on the ground, with reversers deploying, when the crew moved the TLs forward again to TOGA detent. The exact sequence is not yet reported, but it seems they took off again with #1 thrust reverser petals 3/4 deployed and the engine in idle (auto idle).
They are lucky to be alive.
To elaborate further, with only one engine (#2) providing forward thrust and the other at idle with additional drag from the three deployed reverser petals, the subsequent takeoff at speeds close to 1.0 Vs, the aircraft would have been in alpha floor logic. Unable to climb, only very slowly accelerating and overflying the neighborhood with only meters to spare.
This was very, very close to a major accident.
Dear Andreas, alpha floor doesn’t work with one engine at TOGA thrust and one engine in reverse.
And the crew is alive yes but not due to luck…