Flight History
First Air Flight 860, a Boeing 727 (registration C-GXFA), operated a scheduled flight from Ottawa, Ontario, to Iqaluit, Nunavut, with 7 crew members and 52 passengers on board. The aircraft departed Ottawa at 0853 eastern daylight time. En route, the flight crew received weather reports for Iqaluit and the alternate airport, Sondre Stromfjord, Greenland.
The planned approach was an instrument landing system (ILS) approach to Runway 35. Due to strong crosswinds from the east and wind shear, the captain discontinued the first approach about five nautical miles from the airport. The crew reviewed diversion fuel and confirmed Sondre Stromfjord was suitable. The captain hand-flew the aircraft for the second approach because the autopilot had unstable flight characteristics in turbulence.
Approach and Landing
The aircraft intercepted the localizer from the southwest and established on the glidepath. At about 600 feet above the runway, the navigation system indicated a wind of 030 degrees true at 25 knots. The runway was slippery due to accumulating snow, and the crosswind equaled or exceeded the demonstrated crosswind value of 29 knots for a dry runway. The captain did not use a crab into wind on landing, and extra speed added to the approach speed reduced tire cornering force. Use of reverse while the aircraft was weathercocked into wind contributed to the second excursion.
After touching down near the runway centreline, the aircraft travelled off the left side, returned to the runway, then drifted left and came to rest 7000 feet from the threshold. The nose wheels and left main wheels were off the runway in the mud west of the runway.
Runway Conditions
The latest runway surface condition (RSC) report provided to the crew indicated the runway was bare and wet. Snow-clearing vehicles had been working all morning but exited the runway before the flight's arrival. No NOTAM was issued that operations were interrupted. During the missed approach, the runway accumulated snow and slush. The RSC report was not updated to reflect changing conditions, and flight service station and airport staff did not ensure the crew received accurate information.
Evacuation
An emergency evacuation was ordered. The first officer made a PA announcement using the oxygen mask microphone, but it was not heard in the passenger cabin due to the audio panel configuration. The evacuation proceeded safely, and all passengers and crew exited without injury. The aircraft received only minor damage. The presence of off-duty First Air crew members among the passengers assisted in the evacuation. After evacuation, passengers were exposed to cold weather but were moved to the terminal quickly via airport vehicles.
Findings
The investigation found that the RSC report did not accurately describe the runway condition at the time of landing, leading to the aircraft being landed in wind and runway conditions that prevented sufficient lateral control. Additionally, flight service station and airport staff did not ensure that RSC reports were updated and passed to aircrew in changing weather conditions.