What happened
On December 2, 2006, at approximately 13:10 UTC, an Aero Lanka flight, operating a BAE System HS 748 Series 2B with registration 4R-SER, was performing a scheduled passenger service from Palaly-Jaffna to Colombo Airport, Ratmalana. During the final phase of the flight, the crew conducted a visual approach to runway 22 at dusk.
As the aircraft approached the threshold, the flight crew maintained an approach speed and angle that were higher than standard parameters. Despite the co-pilot identifying the unstable approach and requesting a go-around, the commander continued the landing. The aircraft touched down approximately two-thirds of the way down the runway, near the control tower. Due to the late touchdown and the presence of a tailwind, the remaining runway length was insufficient to decelerate the aircraft. The plane overran the runway 04 end by 200 meters, coming to a stop on the soft grass of the stopway. During the deceleration, the starboard inner tyre deflated. There were no injuries to the passengers or crew.
The investigation
The investigation examined the flight crew's performance, the meteorological conditions, and the airfield infrastructure. Investigators reviewed the cockpit voice recorder, which confirmed that the crew failed to execute a stabilized approach and that the commander disregarded the request for a missed approach. The investigation also looked into the airfield's lighting and layout, noting that the lack of approach lights and visual glide slope indicators made the dusk approach difficult. Furthermore, the investigation found that the brightness of perimeter lights relative to runway lights made judging the runway length challenging, and that the air traffic controller had offered the choice of runway without sufficient consideration for the tailwind component.