Synopsis
An aircraft conducting a VOR/DME approach to Runway 15R overran the runway and went over a sea wall after touchdown. The investigation revealed that precipitation had refrozen to form glaze ice on the runway surface. The pilot had acknowledged receipt of ATIS information and field condition reports indicating braking action of "fair to poor" in the decimal code (DCG). However, three pilot reports of braking action "poor to nil" or "poor" were not passed to the crew. The ATIS had not been updated for two hours prior to the accident.
Approach and Landing
Due to possible wind shear, 35 degrees of flaps were extended instead of the normal 50 degrees. The autothrottle/SOD control (AT/SC) was used to control speed during the approach, with a speed approximately 10 knots higher than the target. This higher speed was accepted in accordance with company standard operating procedures, but the AT/SC was used throughout the flare. The aircraft touched down approximately 2,500 feet beyond the displaced threshold, leaving about 6,690 feet of runway remaining. No lighted runway distance markers were available. All deceleration devices were used in an attempt to slow the aircraft, but it continued beyond the end of the runway and went over a sea wall.
Runway Conditions
Of 14 pilots who had landed earlier, 9 had not volunteered braking action reports, and the tower did not request reports during continued precipitation. The investigation noted that FAA regulations lack guidance for airport management on measurement of runway slipperiness, lack means of correlating a slippery runway surface with aircraft stopping distance, and do not extend authorized runway lengths for icy runways. Airport management did not inspect or improve runway conditions after braking was reported as poor or nil.
Regulatory Aspects
The source indicates that existing FAA regulations did not provide sufficient guidance for airport management regarding runway condition assessment and reporting. There was no established method to correlate slick runway surfaces with required stopping distances, and runway lengths were not adjusted for icy conditions.