Lufthansa Airbus A380 landing incident in Munich investigated

An interim report from the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) has detailed the circumstances surrounding a Lufthansa Airbus A380 landing in Munich on August 17. The aircraft, arriving from San Francisco, touched down approximately 19 meters short of the runway threshold, striking a concrete barrier and damaging three runway lights and seven main landing gear tires.

The investigation revealed that the crew performed an RNP approach using satellite positioning because the Instrument Landing System (ILS) for runway 26L was unavailable due to maintenance. During the approach, heavy rain and poor visibility—estimated at 500 meters or less—caused the aircraft to sink below the glide path. Although the captain noted the low altitude shortly before contact, the descent speed could not be reduced in time to prevent the short landing.

In response to the findings, Lufthansa has updated its standard operating procedures. For Airbus A320, A350, and A380 fleets, pilots are now required to fully deactivate both the Automatic Flight System and Flight Guidance when using FLS guidance upon reaching approach minimums. This precautionary measure aims to prevent pilots from descending to dangerously low altitudes due to barometric deviations during visual flight rules (VFR) conditions.