A minor accident (no casualities, aircraft returned to base) - but with some unusual aspects:
- Cabin Altitude allowed to rise to 14000 feet in hold before approach - degraded judgement?
- 3rd highest airport - DA likely just below 15000 feet. TAS at Vref...?
- CRM issues and press-on-itis
Accident: China Eastern A319 at Kangding on May 1st 2016, struck approach lights on final approach
Also, I'm intrigued that some assume that for part of the APCH lights to end up impaled in the HS, that the HS must have hit the lights. My assumption is that the lights, broken loose by the gear, bounced along the ground (at a significant percentage of impact speed) until taking a high bounce into the tail.