What happened
During a scheduled night cargo operation from Hamilton, Ontario, to Moncton, New Brunswick, a Boeing 727 operated by Kelowna Flightcraft (KFA) 280 overran the end of runway 06 at Moncton. The aircraft exited the runway 154 feet beyond the pavement. There were no injuries to the crew and no damage was sustained by the aircraft.
At the time of the landing, the Moncton area was experiencing a snowstorm with accumulating snow and gusty winds. While the flight crew had reviewed recent runway surface reports, the landing occurred on a runway covered with wet snow and slush. The crew touched down 1,972 feet from the threshold, and despite applying full brakes and reverse thrust, the aircraft could not stop within the available distance.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the accuracy of the information provided to the crew and the adequacy of the landing performance calculations. Investigators found that several critical pieces of information regarding runway conditions failed to reach the cockpit:
- A report from a Convair 580 regarding extremely slippery icy patches on the runway taxiway was not relayed to the crew.
- A radio transmission from a field maintenance foreman, which explicitly mentioned "wet snow or slush," was garbled and not understood by the flight crew.
- Air traffic controllers failed to follow standard operating procedures by omitting the landing times of previous aircraft when reporting braking action.
- The crew relied on braking action reports from a Navajo and a G159 that were either inaccurate or lacked sufficient detail to be relevant to a heavy aircraft.
Furthermore, the investigation noted that the crew's landing technique—which included a brief assessment of braking action before applying full reverse thrust—was not a standard or approved procedure for this aircraft type.
Findings
- Incomplete and inexplicit communications prevented the flight crew from realizing the runway was unsuitable for landing.
- The flight crew did not sufficiently assess the potential for runway contamination despite the ongoing snowfall.
- The aircraft's flight manual lacked performance charts for calculating landing distances on contaminated runways.
- There was a lack of specific company guidance regarding operations on runways covered in snow or slush.
- The crew's landing technique, specifically the delay in applying full reverse thrust and the touchdown point, contributed to the extended stopping distance.