Czech investigators: Wizz Air UK A321XLR descent rate spiked 60% before Prague hard landing and tail‑strike

Czech investigators say a Wizz Air UK A321XLR's descent rate increased about 60% in the final seconds before a hard touchdown and subsequent tail‑strike at Prague on 11 September. The aircraft was conducting an ILS approach to runway 24 after a service from London Gatwick.

Discovered 2025-11-10T02:18:05.588497-08:00 | 2025-11-10T02:18:05.588497-08:00

Briefing

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The investigator finding that descent rate jumped ~60% in the final seconds pinpoints a critical phase of flight with immediate safety and procedural implications; the event resulted in a hard‑bounced landing and tail‑strike and temporarily removed Wizz Air's A321XLR from service (see the carrier's earlier incident report: https://hype.aero/?story=b9de0cea-2756-4c65-9b2b-fb8d76b03c2f).
The occurrence intensifies scrutiny of A321XLR operations and fleet reliability amid wider concerns about the type's operational performance; operators and regulators will reference recent reporting on A321XLR operational challenges and other recent tail‑strike incidents when assessing crew procedures, training and potential airworthiness actions (context: https://hype.aero/?story=8f65de4e-5751-44c8-af08-f641561ac911 and https://hype.aero/?story=0969bac0-405e-49c6-b409-d9e7b5febb9c).

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Aviation A2Z aero.de enginecowl.com FlightGlobal