What happened
On the night of the incident, a cargo airplane was on approach to land on runway 4R, an 8,400-foot asphalt runway. The flight crew had received automated terminal information service weather indicating winds from 240 degrees at 4 knots. The aircraft was configured for a normal approach with 35 degrees of flaps and autobrakes set to minimum, with a landing weight of approximately 470,000 pounds.
The captain, acting as the flying pilot, utilized the autopilot until 500 feet before transitioning to manual control while remaining on the glide slope. The aircraft touched down between 1,500 and 1,800 feet beyond the approach end of the runway at an airspeed of approximately 158 knots. After applying reverse thrust, the captain observed the alternating red and white runway lights approaching rapidly. With approximately 3,000 feet of runway remaining and a speed of 110 knots, the captain began applying manual braking. The first officer noted that the brakes grabbed and the aircraft's nose pitched down.
The airplane departed the end of the runway and entered an Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS). The nose gear came to rest approximately 238 feet beyond the runway end, 115 feet into the EMAS. There were no injuries to the flight crew.
The investigation
A radar and performance study determined that the aircraft crossed the runway threshold at an altitude of 60 to 120 feet. The main landing gear touched down between 2,800 and 3,000 feet from the start of runway 4R, and the nose gear touched down at approximately 4,300 feet. The automatic braking system initiated roughly three seconds after the nose wheel touchdown, and the pilot began manual braking with about 1,400 feet of runway remaining.
An examination of the aircraft, including a brake inspection and an operational check of the autobrake system, revealed no faults or abnormalities. Both crew members reported normal cockpit indications throughout the event.