What happened
The flight crew initiated an approach to runway 6L, which was covered in snow and provided a usable landing distance of 6,000 feet. At the time of the approach, winds were reported at 340 degrees at 22 knots, with gusts reaching 35 knots. The maximum demonstrated crosswind for the aircraft type was 30 knots. The ATIS information regarding runway conditions was one hour old.
While within the final approach fix, the captain chose to land with wing flaps set at 22 degrees instead of 45 degrees due to the wind conditions. Although the Vref was adjusted to 138 knots, the aircraft remained above this speed for the final 38 seconds of flight, and exceeded 150 knots during the final 7 seconds. In the last eight seconds of the descent, the radar altimeter indicated less than 15 feet. The pilot continued the landing rather than performing a go-around.
The aircraft touched down at an airspeed of 150 knots, approximately 1,523 feet from the departure end of the runway. The aircraft then overran the runway and struck the ILS localizer antenna, located 2,308 feet from the touchdown point. Based on the company flight manual, landing with flaps at 22 degrees on a wet runway would have required an actual landing distance of 4,260 feet.
The investigation
The investigation revealed that the flight crew had not checked the required landing distance prior to the accident. Additionally, a NOTAM published 26 days earlier had increased the runway landing minimums from 4,000 ft RVR to 5,000 ft RVR; however, this information was not present in the airline's database, and the company lacked a backup method to verify all current NOTAMs. The last RVR transmitted to the crew was 4,000 ft.
Findings
- The local controller failed to update the flight crew with the latest RVR or braking action reports as required.
- There was no requirement for the local controller to notify pilots that the airport was operating below landing minimums, despite controllers being required to be aware of approach minimums.
- The aircraft experienced excessive airspeed during the final stages of the approach.