Virgin Australia AT72 at Albury on Feb 25th 2014, suspected bird strike

A Virgin Australia Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-212A, registration VH-FVR performing flight XR-1174/VA-1174 from Sydney,NS to Albury,NS (Australia), had completed a safe landing at Albury. The crew reported a possible bird strike during the flight prompting maintenance to inspect the aircraft.

Australia's Transportation Safety Board (ATSB) reported that the post flight examination revealed substantial damage to the tail assembly of the aircraft and included this new, second accident into the investigation concerning a turbulence accident five days earlier, see: Accident: Virgin Australia AT72 near Sydney on Feb 20th 2014, severe turbulence injures cabin crew.

The ATSB stated:

Investigation AO-2014-032 encompasses two accidents that occurred to the same aircraft, VH-FVR

Those accidents are:

- a turbulence event on 20/2/2014 (ATSB reference number 201400786)

and

- substantial damage detected on 25/2/2014 (ATSB reference number 201400985)

Both of these accidents are being considered as part of the ATSB's investigation. The ATSB is working with the operator and the aircraft manufacturer to understand the chain of events that led to the damage sustained by the aircraft.

On Jun 10th 2014 the ATSB released their preliminary brief stating, that examination of the aircraft did not find any evidence of a bird strike. The captain had observed birds to the left of the aircraft while on approach to Albury and suspected a bird strike despite the absence of usual indications, however, after landing while on the ground the pitch trim system had fluctuated abnormally. The captain performed a walk around and detected damage to the fairing at the top leading edge of the vertical stabilizer which might have been the result of a bird strike. The captain thus advised maintenance. A maintenance engineer was dispatched to examine the aircraft and confirmed the fairing had received damage that might have been the result of a bird strike and grounded the aircraft, the ATSB was informed of a bird strike.

The operator advised however that the damage might have been the result of the occurrence on Feb 20th 2014. On that basis the ATSB decided to include the investigation of the Albury event into the investigation of the Sydney event.

The ATSB reported: "The aircraft manufacturer inspected the aircraft and found broken carbon plies, cracked joint sealant, and deformation in and around the area where the horizontal stabiliser attaches to the vertical stabiliser (Figures 2 and 3). There was also some minor damage to the rudder. The damage was assessed as being consistent with an overstress condition. Subject to further assessment and non-destructive testing, the aircraft manufacturer recommended replacement of the horizontal stabiliser, elevators, and vertical stabiliser."

The damage to the left and right hand stabilizer (Photo: ATSB):

Detail of damage at the left tail plane attachment, fairing removed (Photo: ATSB):