An Austrian Airlines Airbus A320 landed in Vienna with the nose disintegrated due to hail encountered in the final stages of the journey. The violence of the grains was such that it also severely damaged the external layer of the windshield, “blinding” the pilots and making descent even more difficult. The aircraft landed regularly at the Austrian airport, without problems for people. But the repairs could cost enough to make dismantling the jet cheaper.
The flight
It all happened on flight OS434 Palma de Mallorca (Spain)-Vienna on Sunday 9 June. The Airbus A320 took off from the island’s airport at 3.56pm, according to data provided by the tracking site Flightradar24. But once over Italy, the plane found itself in turbulence and was hit by a significant hailstorm about 150 kilometers southwest of Vienna. Commander and first officer declared a state of emergency and requested priority in landing.
The damages
The hailstones — which had not been foreseen or even anticipated on the on-board monitors — caused various damages: they shattered the outer layer of the cockpit windows (there was therefore no loss of pressurization of the jet), they destroyed the nose of the fuselage — where the weather radar is located — and also caused other damage along the fuselage, but did not disable the main controls and engines.
The «Mayday»
In particular, the shattered windshield on the outside effectively “blinded” the pilots who, however, usually land at the Austrian airport through the “ILS” instrumental system which allows them to descend in conditions of low visibility. The Airbus, after a short tour waiting for an improvement in the weather conditions and to carefully examine the main controls, descended at 5.55pm along runway 11.
The reactions
“While on approach to Vienna the plane ended up in a storm cell which, according to the cockpit crew, was not visible on the weather radar,” explains a spokeswoman for Austrian Airlines. “According to initial information, the hail damaged the two front windows of the plane’s cockpit, the nose of the plane (“radome”) and some panels.” «Due to the damage – he continues – “Mayday” was launched. The plane managed to land safely at Vienna airport.”
