What happened
On the night of 8 April 2017, a Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB) Boeing 737-800, registration 9M-MXX, experienced a runway excursion while landing at Sibu Airport, Sarawak. The aircraft, operating flight MH2718 from Kuala Lumpur, was carrying 63 passengers and 6 crew members.
During the approach to Runway 13, the aircraft encountered a sudden increase in rainfall intensity, transitioning from moderate to heavy rain at an altitude of less than 100 feet above the ground. As the aircraft touched down, it veered to the right of the runway centerline. The aircraft traveled approximately 480 meters on the soft ground parallel to the runway before coming to a stop diagonally toward the runway edge. During the excursion, the nose gear assembly collapsed. All passengers and crew were successfully evacuated via the forward slides, and no injuries were reported.
The investigation
An investigation led by the Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) Malaysia examined the flight data from the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR). Investigators analyzed the meteorological conditions, the aircraft's flight path, and the crew's operational procedures. The inquiry also reviewed the runway infrastructure at Sibu Airport, including the availability of lighting and the runway surface condition.
Findings
- The primary cause of the excursion was the pilot's application of a crosswind landing technique based on a perceived right crosswind, even though the actual wind velocity had dropped to less than 2 knots by the time of touchdown.
- The pilot flying (PF) used an oscillating control wheel movement to compensate for a perceived wind from the right, which introduced a 4-degree heading drift to the right.
- Reduced visibility due to the sudden intensification of heavy rain hindered the crew's ability to maintain visual references.
- The aircraft touched down approximately 10 meters to the right of the centerline with a 6-degree bank angle.
- There was insufficient rudder input to correct the track and regain the runway centerline.
- The runway lacked centerline lighting, which may have contributed to the difficulty in maintaining alignment during low visibility.
Safety action
Following the incident, the following actions were recommended to the operator:
- Provision of remedial training for the flight crew involved in the incident.
- Strengthening the enforcement of Threat and Error Management (TEM) principles during flight operations.
- Improvement of standard cockpit callouts during the landing phase.
- Implementation of enhanced Crew Resource Management (CRM) training.