What happened
On a sub-charter flight from Toronto to St. John's via Halifax, a Boeing 727-217 operated by Royal Aviation overran the end of runway 11 at St. John's Airport. The aircraft, registration not provided, was carrying 154 passengers and 8 crew members. During the instrument landing system (ILS) approach, the aircraft was flying manually and experienced a high rate of descent and a lateral deviation from the centerline.
As the aircraft approached the threshold, it was traveling at speeds significantly higher than the planned approach and threshold crossing speeds. The pilot also had to perform a corrective maneuver to realign the aircraft with the runway centerline. This sequence of events, combined with a lack of headwind, resulted in a long float and a touchdown approximately 5,100 feet after crossing the threshold. Despite the application of maximum braking and reverse thrust, the aircraft traveled 300 feet beyond the runway end. The incident resulted in no injuries to the 162 people on board, though the aircraft sustained damage to its engines and landing gear, and some runway lighting was destroyed.
The investigation
The investigation examined the flight path, weather conditions, and the crew's decision-making process. It was established that the weather in St. John's was deteriorating, with low visibility and fog. The investigation also analyzed the aircraft's mechanical state, specifically a blown tire on the left main gear. While the tire failure reduced braking effectiveness, it was not the primary cause of the excursion. The investigation also reviewed the captain's training and the company's approach limits for newly promoted captains.
Findings
- The crew proceeded with the landing despite having insufficient runway remaining to safely stop.
- The crew continued the landing when there was insufficient runway remaining to stop on the runway surface.
- The approach was characterized by excessive altitude and airspeed over the runway threshold.
- The landing technique was ineffective, involving a long float period.
- The captain utilized inappropriate approach limits, as the reported weather was below the higher minimums required for a new captain.
- The use of manual flight instead of the autopilot and the failure to utilize the superior lighting on the reciprocal runway contributed to the difficulty in monitoring the aircraft's position relative to the runway end.