Namibia’s Directorate of Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation (DAAII) is investigating an incident in which a Eurowings Discover Airbus A330-200 (registered D-AXGB) was grounded after sustaining substantial damage in a hard landing.
A hard landing typically refers to a situation where an aircraft lands on the runway with a greater than normal impact force.
The state of registry (Germany), the state of aircraft manufacture (France), and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) have been notified of the incident.
According to The Aviation Herald, the incident happened during the operation of flight 4Y142 from Frankfurt, Germany, to Windhoek on February 18.
Namibia’s authorities secured the black boxes and opened an investigation, while a maintenance team was dispatched from Frankfurt to Windhoek.
Namibia Airports Company spokesperson Dan Kamati confirmed the airplane remains grounded at Hosea Kutako International Airport, where it is being attended to by Eurowings’ staff.
“Safety is very vital in air travel, and we have all the trust in our stakeholders handling the matter,” he told The Brief.
A spokesperson for the airline explained that the A330 had to undergo a precautionary technical inspection after a hard landing, which is a standard procedure that applies.
“The result of the investigation is expected soon,” she added. “The Airbus safely landed, and there was never a safety risk for passengers or the crew.”
Eurowings Discover operates 10 weekly flights between Frankfurt and Windhoek and recently launched a three-times-per-week Frankfurt-Mbombela Kruger National Park service with a short stopover in Windhoek.
