What happened
On 14 December 1994, a Canada 3000 international charter flight, operating as CMM 3507, arrived in Acapulco, Mexico, from Toronto, Canada. The aircraft, a Boeing 757 with registration C-FXOO, was carrying 167 passengers and a total crew of nine.
During the final stages of the flight, the crew performed a visual approach to runway 28. While the crew initially utilized the instrument landing system (ILS), the approach became unstable. The captain elected to continue the descent despite the aircraft not meeting stabilization criteria by 500 feet above ground level. During the landing roll, the rear of the aircraft struck the runway, resulting in a tailstrike. There were no injuries to the passengers or crew, and the aircraft sustained only minor damage.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the flight crew's adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs) and the mechanical configuration of the aircraft. Investigators established that the captain had deployed the speed brakes to manage airspeed rather than following the approved method of extending flaps and landing gear. This decision led to a high angle of attack and a steep pitch angle during landing.
Furthermore, the investigation examined the crew's communication and monitoring. It was found that the flight crew did not properly execute the landing checklist, which allowed the speed brakes to remain in the deployed position. The investigation also looked into the functionality of the airport's ILS and the crew's response to various cockpit warnings, including GPWS alerts and configuration cautions.
Findings
- The primary cause of the tailstrike was that the flight crew failed to retract the speed brakes prior to touchdown.
- The approach was not stabilized by 500 feet aground, and the captain failed to initiate a missed approach as required by company policy.
- The crew's performance was hindered by ineffective crew resource management (CRM), characterized by a lack of assertive communication from the first officer and a lack of clear briefing from the captain.
- The deployment of speed brakes to control speed, rather than using flaps and gear, deviated from the aircraft flight manual and company SOPs.
- Incomplete checklist procedures resulted in the failure to identify the deployed speed brakes during the final descent.