Lufthansa 2904
A late touchdown and delayed deceleration left too little runway to stop.
Fact sheet
- Date
- 14 September 1993
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Report on the Accident to Airbus A320-211 Aircraft in Warsaw on 14 September 1993Title | Printed page Title | PDF page 1 (zero-based index 0)14 September 1993 Main Commission Aircraft Accident Investigation Warsaw March 1994 [The original document appears here without figures...
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- Airbus A320-211
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Report on the Accident to Airbus A320-211 Aircraft in Warsaw on 14 September 19931.1 History of the flight | Printed page 8 | PDF page 2 (zero-based index 1)Airbus A320-211 serial number 105 with the markings D-AIPN operated by Deutsche Lufthansa performed regular scheduled flights. The...
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- D-AIPN
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Report on the Accident to Airbus A320-211 Aircraft in Warsaw on 14 September 19931.1 History of the flight | Printed page 8 | PDF page 2 (zero-based index 1)D-AIPN operated by Deutsche Lufthansa performed regular scheduled flights. The planned route was: Frankfurt - Barcelona - Frankfurt...
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- Deutsche Lufthansa
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Report on the Accident to Airbus A320-211 Aircraft in Warsaw on 14 September 19931.1 History of the flight | Printed page 8 | PDF page 2 (zero-based index 1)Deutsche Lufthansa performed regular scheduled flights. The planned route was: Frankfurt - Barcelona - Frankfurt - Warsaw -...
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- Frankfurt to Warsaw
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Report on the Accident to Airbus A320-211 Aircraft in Warsaw on 14 September 19931.1 History of the flight | Printed page 8 | PDF page 2 (zero-based index 1)Frankfurt to Warsaw progressed normally until Warsaw Okecie TWR warned the crew that windshear exists on approach to...
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- Warsaw Okecie, Runway 11
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Report on the Accident to Airbus A320-211 Aircraft in Warsaw on 14 September 19931.1 History of the flight | Printed page 9 | PDF page 4 (zero-based index 3)RWY 11 (magnetic course 113°) atmospheric front passed from west to east over Okecie area, preceding the approaching...
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- 70: 64 passengers and six crew
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Report on the Accident to Airbus A320-211 Aircraft in Warsaw on 14 September 19931.2 Injuries to persons | Printed page 10 | PDF page 5 (zero-based index 4)Total 6 64 After the first-aid action decision was taken not to hospitalize eight persons, remaining 54 were...
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- Two fatalities; 51 serious and five minor injuries
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Report on the Accident to Airbus A320-211 Aircraft in Warsaw on 14 September 19931.2 Injuries to persons | Printed page 10 | PDF page 5 (zero-based index 4)Serious 2 49 Minor 1 4 None 2 10 Total 6 64 After the first-aid action decision was...
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What happened
Flight 2904 overran Runway 11 at Warsaw Okecie in heavy rain and changing winds. The right main gear first contacted the runway about 770 metres beyond the threshold. Recorded left gear contact followed nine seconds later, about 1,525 metres beyond the threshold. Ground sensing delayed spoilers and reversers; wheel braking became effective later. The aircraft struck an embankment beyond the runway. One crew member and one passenger died.
What investigators concluded
The commission identified incorrect crew decisions and actions after receiving windshear information. It also said aircraft design limited use of the available deceleration systems and that the operating manual gave insufficient information about increased landing distance. Those qualifications matter: the report does not attribute the accident solely to software or solely to the pilots.
Evidence behind this explanation +
left landing gear touched runway 9 seconds later, at the distance of 1525 metres from RWY 11 threshold,...Find this passage in evidence search
actions of the flight crew taken in situation when the information about windshear at the approach to the...Find this passage in evidence search
Sequence of events
UTC. Timeline uses the analytical sequence, not the conflicting middle-marker narrative time. Expand an event to see its evidence.
15:31:07Windshear warning
The analytical sequence records the tower warning of reported windshear on final approach.
Report on the Accident to Airbus A320-211 Aircraft in Warsaw on 14 September 19932.2.3 Analytical sequence | Printed page 27 | PDF page 21 (zero-based index 20)15:31:07 Tower called: "LUFTHANSA 2-9-0-4, CONTINUE I-L-S APPROACH, CALL ME OUTER MARKER, WIND 1-6-0 DEGREES, 2-5 KILOMETERS PER...
Find this passage in evidence search15:32:12Landing clearance
The tower cleared Flight 2904 to land on Runway 11.
Report on the Accident to Airbus A320-211 Aircraft in Warsaw on 14 September 19931.1 History of the flight | Printed page 9 | PDF page 3 (zero-based index 2)15:32:12 TWR called: " LUFTHANSA 2-9-0-4, YOU ARE CLEARED TO LAND RUNWAY 1-1, WIND 1- 6-0 DEGREES, 2-5...
Find this passage in evidence search15:33:48Right main gear contact
The analytical table places right gear contact at 769.9 metres beyond the threshold, with a ground speed of 170 knots.
Report on the Accident to Airbus A320-211 Aircraft in Warsaw on 14 September 19932.2.3 Analytical sequence | Printed page 29-31, sequence table | PDF page 24 (zero-based index 23)15:33:48 0 151.5 170.0 87.46 1849.9 769.9 RLG on ground 15:33:49 0 152.0 166.0 85.40 1937.4 857.4 15:33:50...
Find this passage in evidence search15:33:57Left main gear contact
Recorded left gear contact followed nine seconds later, at 1,525.1 metres beyond the threshold. The narrative describes the resulting release of spoiler and reverser interlocks.
Report on the Accident to Airbus A320-211 Aircraft in Warsaw on 14 September 19932.2.3 Analytical sequence | Printed page 29-31, sequence table | PDF page 24 (zero-based index 23)15:33:57 0 136.0 154.0 79.22 2605.1 1525.1 LLG on ground 15:33:58 0 133.5 152.0 75.20 2684.3 1604.3 15:33:59...
Find this passage in evidence searchReport on the Accident to Airbus A320-211 Aircraft in Warsaw on 14 September 19931.1 History of the flight | Printed page 9 | PDF page 4 (zero-based index 3)left landing gear touched runway 9 seconds later, at the distance of 1525 metres from RWY 11 threshold,...
Find this passage in evidence search15:33:59 to 15:34:02Deceleration systems become effective
Spoilers reached full deployment at 15:33:59. Reverser action began at 15:34:00, with full action recorded by 15:34:02. Primary wheel braking had separate wheel-speed conditions.
Report on the Accident to Airbus A320-211 Aircraft in Warsaw on 14 September 19932.2.3 Analytical sequence | Printed page 29-31, sequence table | PDF page 24 (zero-based index 23)15:33:59 0 133.8 148.0 76.14 2759.5 1679.5 Spoilers fully deployed (50°) 15:34:00 0 124.8 144.0 74.08 2835.7 1755.7...
Find this passage in evidence searchReport on the Accident to Airbus A320-211 Aircraft in Warsaw on 14 September 19931.6.3 Braking system | Printed page 15 | PDF page 10 (zero-based index 9)primary mode of the braking system, the brakes may be used as soon as wheel speed at both...
Find this passage in evidence search15:34:19 to 15:34:22Overrun and embankment impact
The aircraft crossed the runway end at approximately 72 knots and struck the embankment 90 metres beyond it.
Report on the Accident to Airbus A320-211 Aircraft in Warsaw on 14 September 19932.2.6 Rollout | Printed page 33-35, rollout table | PDF page 30 (zero-based index 29)15:34:19 15:34:22 Time DFDR 1751 1754 Distance from THR-11 [m] 2622.0 2744.4 2800.0 2890.0 Radio Altitude [ft] 0...
Find this passage in evidence searchReport on the Accident to Airbus A320-211 Aircraft in Warsaw on 14 September 19931.1 History of the flight | Printed page 9 | PDF page 4 (zero-based index 3)90 metres collided by its left wing with the embankment, slipped over it destroying LLZ aerial located on...
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Search the official evidence
Search extracted report prose, with original page references. Short results link to the full document. For Warsaw, the indexed text is the identified report transcription.
Classifications, with reasons
These labels organise the evidence. They are not a ranking of causes. A shared label means a shared research topic, not an identical mechanism.
CircumstanceWeather exposure
A passing front brought heavy rain and rapidly changing wind. The label describes exposure; it is not a substitute for the report conclusion.
heavy rain on the aerodrome itself. Actions of the flight crew were also affected by design features of...Find this passage in evidence search
Initiating eventLate touchdown
Initial right-gear contact was about 770 metres beyond the threshold; left gear contact came at about 1,525 metres.
770 metres from RWY 11 threshold. As it was recorded, the left landing gear touched runway 9 seconds...Find this passage in evidence search
System behaviourAutomation and sensing
Ground-sensing requirements delayed spoilers and reversers. Primary and alternate wheel brakes had different conditions.
Ground spoilers. If selected "ON", the ground spoilers will extend if the following "on ground" conditions are met:...Find this passage in evidence search
primary mode of the braking system, the brakes may be used as soon as wheel speed at both...Find this passage in evidence search
Crew actionFlight path management
The commission criticised decisions and actions following windshear information, including the continued landing sequence.
incorrect decisions and actions of the flight crew taken in situation when the information about windshear at the...Find this passage in evidence search
Official contributing factorOperating manual information
The conclusion explicitly notes insufficient information about increased landing distance.
insufficient information in the aircraft operations manual (AOM) relating to the increase of the landing distance. 44 4....Find this passage in evidence search
Sources and transparency
Checked against a third-party transcription of the commission report. No authority-hosted scan or independent expert review.
The source is a reproduction of Peter Ladkin's transcription of the March 1994 commission report, not an original scan. Figures and appendices are missing. The report gives conflicting middle-marker times (15:33:20 and 15:33:27); that event is excluded. Detailed claims remain subject to comparison with an original authority copy.
Report on the Accident to Airbus A320-211 Aircraft in Warsaw on 14 September 1993
Main Commission Aircraft Accident Investigation Warsaw
March 1994 report, Peter Ladkin transcription (1996), third-party PDF rendering
Reproduction of official commission report; figures and appendices omitted. Not an authority-hosted scan.
Open source PDF · Alternate source location
Retrieved 2026-10-03. 39 PDF pages. 411,494 bytes. SHA-256:
db0ca74dbf26dec0b2ea8e5174e140e439d9a8668d0a47b835bad88e268ec1e7Limited quotations for commentary. No licence for wholesale redistribution confirmed. Transcription acknowledged to Peter Ladkin. Source terms / provenance.
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