Wizz UK A321 at London on Jan 16th 2020, late rotation on takeoff
Last Update: October 8, 2020 / 15:05:29 GMT/Zulu time
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Jan 16, 2020
Classification
Report
Airline
Wizz Air UK
Flight number
W9-2602
Departure
London Luton, United Kingdom
Destination
Prague, Czech Republic
Aircraft Registration
G-WUKG
Aircraft Type
Airbus A321
ICAO Type Designator
A321
The British AAIB released their bulletin reporting the A321 had been assigned to the flight at last moment in replacement of an A320. Seat assignmet for the passengers had been done based on the A320 layout, which left the rear seats of the aircraft empty and placed the CG of the aircraft forward outside the permitted forward limit of the operating envelope. The unusual distribution of passengers was not noticed by dispatcher or cabin crew. The captain of the flight remained unaware of the unusual distribution of passengers in the cabin, according to the loadsheet he was handed the weight distribution and CG was within limits. V1 was computed at 112 KIAS and Vr at 123 KIAS.
The AAIB wrote:
Due to the standard ‘POSITIVE RATE OF CLIMB’ call being missed, the landing gear was not retracted until approximately 5,000 feet amsl. The flight was continued to Prague during which the crew analysed the problem and were informed by the Senior Cabin Attendant (SCA) that there were no passengers at the rear of the cabin. The actual passenger distribution did not match the load sheet distribution, which distributed passengers equally throughout the cabin. Close to the top of descent, the conclusion was made that the take-off stabiliser setting on the load sheet was incorrect and this had caused the delayed rotation. It was not realised at that time that the CG was out of limits. It was assumed that the CG was within limits and that the aircraft’s auto-trim system had compensated for the different distribution once the aircraft had become airborne. A normal descent, approach and landing was carried out at the destination with no pitch control abnormalities experienced. Subsequently, it was discovered that the aircraft loading had placed it outside the permitted CG envelope.
The AAIB analysed:
The incident occurred due to the aircraft change from an A320 to an A321 not being notified to both OHD and PSD. As a result, the passengers were seated at the front of the aircraft, placing the CG outside the forward limit of the operating envelope. The effect of this was that, at rotation, the aircraft appeared to the crew not to respond as expected to the normal side stick control inputs due to the forward CG. The PF required almost maximum aft control input and the PM selected TOGA thrust before the aircraft nose lifted. The crew analysed the problem but considered that an incorrect stabiliser setting, taken from the load sheet, had caused the problem. Only at the top of the descent for the destination did it become apparent that the passengers had possibly been incorrectly distributed in the cabin. The crew did not experience any unusual control response during the approach and landing.
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Jan 16, 2020
Classification
Report
Airline
Wizz Air UK
Flight number
W9-2602
Departure
London Luton, United Kingdom
Destination
Prague, Czech Republic
Aircraft Registration
G-WUKG
Aircraft Type
Airbus A321
ICAO Type Designator
A321
This article is published under license from Avherald.com. © of text by Avherald.com.
Article source
You can read 2 more free articles without a subscription.
Subscribe now and continue reading without any limits!
Read unlimited articles and receive our daily update briefing. Gain better insights into what is happening in commercial aviation safety.
Send tip
Support AeroInside by sending a small tip amount.
Related articles
Wizz UK A21N at Belgrade on Mar 11th 2022, hard landing
A Wizz Air UK Airbus A321-200N, registration G-WUKO performing flight W9-4002 from London Luton,EN (UK) to Belgrade (Serbia), was on final approach…
Wizz A320 at Gibraltar on Dec 14th 2020, bird strike
A Wizzair UK Airbus A320-200, registration G-WUKE performing flight W6-5147 from London Luton,EN (UK) to Gibraltar (Gibraltar), was on final approach…
Wizz UK A321 at Doncaster on Jun 16th 2020, rejected takeoff due to unreliable airspeed
A Wizz Air UK Airbus A321-200, registration G-WUKJ performing flight W9-807 from Doncaster Sheffield,EN to London Stansted,EN (UK), was accelerating…
Wizz A321 at Constanta on Jun 12th 2019, bird strike
A Wizzair UK Airbus A321-200, registration G-WUKC performing flight W9-3776/W6-3776 from London Luton,EN (UK) to Constanta (Romania), was on final…
Newest articles
Nepal A320 at Kathmandu on May 27th 2023, bird strike
A Nepal Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration 9N-AKW performing flight RA-225 from Kathmandu (Nepal) to Bangalore (India), was climbing out of…
Egypt B738 at Jeddah on May 28th 2023, tyre damage on landing
An Egypt Air Boeing 737-800, registration SU-GEM performing flight MS-643 from Cairo (Egypt) to Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), landed on Jeddah's runway 16R…
Subscribe today
Are you researching aviation incidents? Get access to AeroInside Insights, unlimited read access and receive the daily newsletter.
Pick your plan and subscribePartner

A new way to document and demonstrate airworthiness compliance and aircraft value. Find out more.

ELITE Simulation Solutions is a leading global provider of Flight Simulation Training Devices, IFR training software as well as flight controls and related services. Find out more.
SafetyScan Pro provides streamlined access to thousands of aviation accident reports. Tailored for your safety management efforts. Book your demo today
AeroInside Blog
Popular aircraft
Airbus A320Boeing 737-800
Boeing 737-800 MAX
Popular airlines
American AirlinesUnited
Delta
Air Canada
Lufthansa
British Airways