No fatalities

Iberia Flight Overrun at Quito Airport (EC-JOH)

Quito-Mariscal Sucre (City), EcuadorLanding (descent or approach)

On November 9, 2007, an Airbus A340-600 (registration EC-JOH) operated by Iberia - Lineas Aéreas de Espana was involved in an aviation accident near Quito-Mariscal Sucre (City), Ecuador during landing or approach. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: Wrong approach configuration by the crew, who continued the approach to Quito Airport knowing the poor runway conditions, poor weather conditions, and aircraft weight, and failed to initiate a go-around while forcing the aircraft to intercept the PAPI,… This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 13 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

Sourcesthe Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A)Primary reportUpdated 2026-06-11Data APIEditorial standards
Aircraft registered EC-JOH
Aircraft registered EC-JOH. Photo: Aero Icarus from Zürich, Switzerland / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

An Iberia aircraft overran runway 35 at Quito after an unstabilized approach in poor conditions. All occupants escaped uninjured, but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Approach and Landing Conditions After an uneventful flight from Madrid, the crew contacted Quito Approach at 1650LT and received descent instructions for an instrument approach no. 4 (VOR QIT DME/ILS) to runway 35. During the descent, the crew was informed that preceding flights had reported braking action from medium to poor. The flight crew selected auto braking to “High.” At 17:05, the crew reported the runway in sight. The controller then advised that the wind was 170° at 4 knots, the runway was wet, and reported braking action was poor. The flight was cleared to land. The pilot in command, following procedures established by Iberia, decided to leave the ILS glide path and capture the path of the PAPI lights. The aircraft touched down 200 metres past the threshold with a 3.09g side load. The spoilers deployed automatically, and main gear tyres 3 and 8 blew. The flap lever was moved involuntarily by the copilot from the full position to position 2. The crew applied full manual braking and selected reverse thrust. The auto brake function failed, after which the crew disconnected the antiskid braking system and continued applying manual braking. The aircraft passed the end of runway 35 at a ground speed of 90 knots, hit the ILS localizer, and stopped 232 metres further. Passengers and crew were evacuated using the slide at door 2R, thirty minutes after the aircraft stopped. All occupants escaped uninjured, while the aircraft was considered damaged beyond repair.

Probable cause

Wrong approach configuration by the crew, who continued the approach to Quito Airport knowing the poor runway conditions, poor weather conditions, and aircraft weight, and failed to initiate a go-around while forcing the aircraft to intercept the PAPI, causing the aircraft to be unstabilized.