What happened
On the afternoon of the incident, an Iberia flight arriving from Madrid was cleared for an instrument approach to runway 35 at Quito. During the descent, the crew was alerted to reports of medium to poor braking action on the runway, prompting the selection of the 'High' autobrake setting. Upon reaching the runway, the controller provided updated information regarding a wet surface and poor braking conditions, with winds recorded at 170 degrees at 4 knots.
During the landing phase, the pilot in command deviated from the established ILS glide path to follow the PAPI lights. The aircraft type touched down approximately 200 meters past the runway threshold, experiencing a significant side load of 3.09g. This impact caused the automatic deployment of spoilers and the failure of tires 3 and 8 on the main gear. During the sequence, the co-pilot inadvertently moved the flap lever from the full position to position 2.
As the aircraft decelerated, the crew utilized full manual braking and reverse thrust. However, the autobrake system failed, leading the crew to disconnect the antiskid system and rely on manual braking. The aircraft exited the end of runway 35 at a ground speed of 90 knots, striking the ILS localizer before coming to a halt 232 meters beyond the runway end. An evacuation via the 2R door was conducted 30 minutes after the stop. There were zero fatalities and zero injuries among the passengers and crew, though the aircraft was determined to be a total loss.
Findings
- The landing involved a deviation from the ILS glide path.
- Poor braking action on a wet runway contributed to the loss of directional control.
- Mechanical failures occurred during the rollout, including tire bursts and the failure of the autobrake system.