A Bombardier Challenger 604 seriously damaged in a landing attempt at London Stansted Airport was flown “slower than appropriate for the conditions, and the aircraft floated, leading to an excessive angle of attack prior to the excursion,” according to a UK Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) final report. But the agency could not determine a single precise cause.

The twinjet was seriously damaged on Jan. 31, 2022, when the crew lost control during an attempted landing on Runway 22 at London Stansted Airport with strong crosswinds at 12:18 a.m. At the time, surface wind was from 300 degrees at 13 knots, gusting to 25 knots.

According to the final report, the aircraft bounced and landed hard on its nose gear, followed by its left and then right landing gear. “The left wingtip struck the runway several times and remained in contact with the ground as the aircraft departed the paved surface into the grass area.”

At one point, the stick-pusher activated. The crew managed to make a go-around and land uneventfully at Gatwick Airport. There were no injuries to the two passengers and two pilots, but the damage to the nose gear assembly and left wingtip was considered beyond economical repair.

The AAIB also said that “it is possible that [crew] relationship issues and fatigue factors affected decision-making and communication. The pilots experienced a long working day (awake for 17 hours) and the relationship between them was characterized as “strained.”