Malta Air B738 at Gothenburg on Apr 5th 2026, difficulty to control after go around, descent during go around

Last Update: April 27, 2026 / 16:20:31 GMT/Zulu time

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Incident Facts

Date of incident
Apr 5, 2026

Classification
Incident

Airline
Malta Air

Departure
Copenhagen, Denmark

Destination
Gothenburg, Sweden

Aircraft Registration
9H-QDZ

Aircraft Type
Boeing 737-800

ICAO Type Designator
B738

Airport
Gothenburg-Landvetter Airport, Gothenburg

Airport ICAO Code
ESGG

A Malta Air Boeing 737-800 on behalf of Ryanair, registration 9H-QDZ performing positioning flight FR-9672 from Copenhagen (Denmark) to Gothenburg (Sweden) with only crew on board, was on final approach to Gothenburg's runway 21 when the aircraft encountered severe turbulence prompting the crew to go around from about 1300 feet MSL. The aircraft climbed to about 2150 feet then began to descend again before finally settling in a climb at about 1600 feet MSL. The aircraft climbed to FL280 and diverted to Stockholm (Sweden) for a safe landing.

Sweden's Statens Haverikommission (SHK) rated the occurrence a serious incident and opened an investigation stating: "The aircraft, registration 9H-QDZ, was performing a repositioning flight with only the crew on board. Shortly before landing, severe turbulence was experienced. The landing was aborted and a go-around was initiated. Due to strong winds and turbulence, the aircraft became difficult to control and was flown outside the permitted limits for the aircraft type, which posed a risk of serious damage to the aircraft. Despite the pilot attempting to climb, the aircraft initially descended, but then climbed to the intended altitude, after which a normal landing was carried out at another airport."

The aircraft remained on the ground in Stockholm for about 38 hours before returning to service.

Metars:
ESGG 051720Z 24033G50KT 9999 BKN023 05/01 Q0994=
ESGG 051650Z 24034G53KT 9999 BKN025 05/01 Q0995=
ESGG 051620Z 24032G46KT 210V270 9999 OVC029 06/00 Q0995=
ESGG 051550Z 24037G52KT 9999 BKN031 06/00 Q0995=
ESGG 051520Z 24035G56KT 9999 BKN031 06/M00 Q0994=
ESGG 051450Z 24025G40KT 9999 OVC029 06/01 Q0994=
ESGG 051420Z 23030G44KT 9999 BKN030 06/00 Q0994=
ESGG 051350Z 24032G52KT 9999 BKN032 06/00 Q0993=
ESGG 051320Z 23032G45KT 9999 BKN034 06/01 Q0993=
ESGG 051250Z 23030G42KT 9999 BKN034 06/01 Q0993 WS R21=
Incident Facts

Date of incident
Apr 5, 2026

Classification
Incident

Airline
Malta Air

Departure
Copenhagen, Denmark

Destination
Gothenburg, Sweden

Aircraft Registration
9H-QDZ

Aircraft Type
Boeing 737-800

ICAO Type Designator
B738

Airport
Gothenburg-Landvetter Airport, Gothenburg

Airport ICAO Code
ESGG

This article is published under license from Avherald.com. © of text by Avherald.com.
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