Sudan Airways Airbus A310 ST-ATN Runway Overrun at Khartoum

Aircraft and Operational Background The aircraft involved was an Airbus A310 with serial number 548, operated by Sudan Airways. It was registered in the Sudan Civil Register as ST-ATN on 15 September 2007 under registration certificate No. 0493 and was issued Certificate of Airworthiness No. AWP/COA/0203/2007 on 19 September 2007. On the morning of 10 June, the aircraft arrived from Cairo with its No. 1 engine thrust reverser deactivated as a carry-forward defect and labeled in accordance with the Minimum Equipment List (MEL). The captain accepted the aircraft for its scheduled flight to Amman via Damascus. The en-route segment to Amman was reported as uneventful. ## Diversion and Return to Khartoum Later that same day, the A310 ST-ATN was en route from Damascus, Syria, to Khartoum, Sudan, carrying 203 passengers and 11 crew members. As the aircraft approached Khartoum in the afternoon, the captain decided to divert to Port Sudan because of bad weather conditions. The aircraft landed normally at Port Sudan Airport and was refueled with 20 tons of Jet A1. The captain stated that he had been in contact with Khartoum to inquire about the weather. After remaining on the ground at Port Sudan for about 1 hour and 15 minutes and being informed that conditions were improving, the captain decided to return to Khartoum. ## Landing and Runway Overrun ST-ATN took off for Khartoum, and the captain, acting as pilot flying, initiated a night approach to runway 36. The controller provided wind information of 320 degrees at 7 knots and a runway condition of wet, after which the crew received landing clearance. The left engine thrust reverser remained unserviceable and inhibited under MEL procedures. The aircraft landed smoothly at approximately 17:26 UTC on runway 36, about 900 meters from the threshold, according to the pilot flying. The captain reported difficulty maintaining the aircraft on the centerline just after both thrust levers were moved to the reverse position. The aircraft could not be slowed sufficiently or stopped before the end of the runway. It overran the runway longitudinally and came to rest 215 meters beyond the runway end, where it caught fire on its right side. The right-hand evacuation slides could not be deployed, and the crew and passengers evacuated through the left front slide. Twenty-nine passengers and one cabin crew member were fatally injured.