Incident Overview
On 12 September 2018, at 04:11 local time (02:11 UTC), a serious incident occurred involving a Boeing 737-866, registration SU-GCO, operated by EgyptAir as charter flight MS3100 from Cairo (HECA) to Belgrade (LYBE). The event took place during landing on Runway 30 at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport.
Sequence of Events
The crew performed pre-flight procedures and departed from Cairo without any issues. The flight and approach to Belgrade were uneventful. During a stable and controlled landing on Runway 30, the main landing gear wheels locked. The right main gear wheels locked first, followed by the left main gear wheels one second later. This caused uneven resistance, with the wheels scraping along the runway surface, leading to yawing. The aircraft came to a stop approximately 1,100 meters from the first touchdown point. The first contact with the runway occurred about 400 meters from the threshold of Runway 30. After stopping, the crew informed air traffic control, and airport services responded. Due to smoke from the right main gear, fire prevention measures were taken.
Injuries and Occupants
The aircraft carried 2 crew members and 3 passengers, all EgyptAir employees. All occupants were uninjured.
Aircraft Damage
Damage was limited to the main landing gear wheels. On the right main gear, tires were torn and rims were damaged, with 1/5 to 1/4 of the rim circumference worn down. On the left main gear, tires burst but rims were undamaged. Runway surface was marked by tire and rim scrapes but otherwise undamaged. No third-party damage occurred.
Crew Information
The captain, aged 36, held an ATPL with a total flight time of 7,310 hours (1,722.55 hours on type). The first officer, aged 31, also held an ATPL with 3,194 hours total (1,270 hours on type). Both were medically fit with valid Class 1 medical certificates.
Aircraft Information
The Boeing 737-866 (serial number 35561, built in 2007) had accumulated 41,125 hours and 45 minutes, with 14,988 flight cycles. The main landing gear had 14,530 cycles. The airframe was airworthy with a Certificate of Airworthiness valid until 5 September 2019. At the time of the incident, the parking brake valve was inoperative and deactivated, and the anti-skid system was also deactivated.
Meteorological Conditions
Weather was not a factor: wind from 190° at 4 knots, CAVOK conditions, visibility 10+ km, temperature 18°C, dew point 14°C, QNH 1023 hPa, with no significant changes forecast.
Causes
The investigation identified the immediate cause: the aircraft landed with the anti-skid system and the parking brake valve deactivated. Indirect causes included that these two critical systems were deactivated in direct contradiction to the provisions of the Dispatch Deviation Guide (DDG).
Safety Actions
The runway was closed until the aircraft was removed. Airport fire services secured the aircraft. Runway surface was cleaned and returned to service after removal.