On February 20, 1996, a Boeing 737-130 (registration N33202) was involved in an aviation accident near Washington, DC. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: excessive airspeed was maintained by the captain during the approach/landing phase of the flight, which resulted in an overrun and an encounter with soft/wet terrain. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
Photo: San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
During approach to runway 36 with a tailwind, the aircraft touched down at 180 knots, ran off the departure end, and stopped in an overrun area. Postaccident tests revealed a malfunction in the inboard brake anti-skid system.
Incident Overview
The pilots reported that as they neared the destination airport, air traffic control requested they keep their airspeed up during the approach. The pilots obtained the current ATIS information, which noted an overriding tailwind component on final approach for runway 36. Surface winds were reported from 040 degrees at 7 knots.
Approach and Landing
The captain indicated that he began to slow the airplane for landing during the descent, about 11 miles south of the airport. ATC personnel in the tower noted that the airplane was fast on the approach and touched down slightly farther down the runway than other airplanes that landed that day. They also indicated the thrust reversers deployed farther down the runway than usual. Flight data recorder (FDR) data showed that the airplane touched down at about 180 knots indicated airspeed. For comparison, during the previous landing by another aircrew, the FDR recorded a touchdown speed of about 140 knots.
Postaccident Findings
The airplane ran off the departure end of the runway and stopped about 250 feet onto the overrun area, where it encountered mud. Postaccident examination revealed that the two inboard main landing gear tires had blown out during the landing. Subsequent testing of the anti-skid system showed that the channel for the inboard brakes did not function properly.
