History of the Flight
On 19 September 2017, a Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by Spicejet as flight from Varanasi to Mumbai was involved in a serious incident of runway excursion at Mumbai. The flight crew consisted of an ATPL holder as Pilot Flying (PF), who held a Foreign Aircrew Temporary Authorization (FATA), and a CPL holder as Co-Pilot (Pilot Monitoring). There were 183 passengers and 6 crew members on board.
The flight from Varanasi proceeded normally with deviations to avoid weather. The aircraft held over EMRAK for about 20 minutes before being radar vectored to intercept the ILS for runway 27. During the approach, ATC instructed the crew to maintain reduced speeds due to traffic ahead. The PF disconnected the autopilot at 2000 feet to manually control speed. The runway became visible at about 4 nautical miles. Landing clearance was given when the aircraft was approximately 2 nautical miles from the runway.
The aircraft touched down beyond the touchdown zone with flaps 30, speed brakes up, and autobrake 3 selected. The PF applied thrust reversers and manual braking, but the aircraft could not stop on the runway. It exited the runway 27 end, travelling approximately 42 meters beyond and 19 meters left of the extended centerline, coming to rest in the unpaved area (Runway End Safety Area).
Injuries to Persons
According to the report, there were no fatal or serious injuries. Minor injuries were reported among 19 passengers and 5 crew members who received first aid from airport doctors.
Damage to Aircraft
The aircraft sustained damage while rolling on soft ground. Damage included deformed lower brackets on both main landing gears, punctured right side air conditioning composite panel, cracked ATC antenna, damaged right MLG tacho generator cable, damaged fan cowls and thrust reverser components, minor dents on the right engine inlet cowl, 17 damaged fan blades on the right engine, and a broken engine fan cowl latch bracket.
Personnel Information
The Pilot-in-Command, aged 40, held an ATPL and FATA, with total flying experience of 7113:37 hours, including 4340 hours on type. The Co-Pilot, aged 32, held a CPL with 1163 total hours, 839:03 on type. Both had valid licenses and medical certificates. Neither had been involved in a previous serious incident or accident.
Aircraft Information
The Boeing 737-800, registration VT-SGZ, manufacturer serial number 39423, was built in 2012 and powered by two CFM56-7B engines. It had logged 20774:09 hours and 12806 landings since new. The Certificate of Airworthiness and Airworthiness Review Certificate were current. The brake system included normal and alternate hydraulic systems.
Meteorological Information
At the time of landing, it was raining heavily. Tower reported wind 310/12 knots gusting 22 knots and heavy rain.
Sequence of Events Leading to the Incident
The crew conducted a pre-flight briefing including weather, fuel, and go-around procedures. During approach, ATC instructed speed reductions to 180 knots and later 160 knots to maintain separation. The PF took manual control at 2000 feet. The aircraft touched down beyond the touchdown zone. The crew reported that autobrakes were not effective and manual braking was applied but insufficient to stop the aircraft on the wet runway.
After the aircraft became stuck in soft ground, the crew followed checklists and, with ATC confirmation of no fire, evacuated passengers via L1 and L2 doors using emergency slides. The aircraft was recovered on 20 September 2017, and runway 09/27 was cleared for operations by 21 September 2017.
Probable Cause
The probable cause of the incident was that the aircraft touched down beyond the touchdown zone with high speed and could not be stopped on the runway due to the prevailing wet and slippery runway condition.