Lufthansa Airbus A380 incident: BFU interim report released

The German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) has released an interim report regarding a Lufthansa Airbus A380 that landed prematurely at Munich Airport on August 17. The aircraft, arriving from San Francisco with 352 passengers and 24 crew members, touched down approximately 18.8 meters before the runway threshold, damaging seven main landing gear tires and three runway lights. No injuries were reported.

The report indicates that the incident occurred during heavy rain and thunderstorms with significantly reduced visibility. Because the Instrument Landing System (ILS) for runway 26L was undergoing renewal and was unavailable, the crew performed a satellite-based RNP approach using the FMS Landing System (FLS).

Data from the flight data recorder shows the aircraft descended below the calculated flight path during the final stages of the approach. One report notes that after the autopilot was disengaged, the aircraft's nose sat lower than the Flight Director indicated. In response to the incident, Lufthansa implemented new landing rules for three aircraft types on August 19, requiring the autopilot and Flight Director to be switched off at the decision height.