What happened
On November 10, 2009, an aircraft operated by Kingfisher Airlines was performing a visual approach to runway 27A, a shortened runway configuration implemented due to ongoing maintenance on runway 14/32. At the time of the incident, weather conditions included light rain and visibility of 2800 meters. Prior to the arrival of the Kingfisher aircraft, an Air India Airbus 319 had landed on the same runway and reported to Air Traffic Control (ATC) that it had experienced aquaplaning and damaged two runway edge lights.
Despite this report, the ATC personnel cleared the Kingfisher aircraft for landing without communicating the previous aircraft's encounter with aquaplaning. Flight data recorder analysis indicated that the aircraft was flying at a high speed and was not following the prescribed localizer profile. The aircraft touched down late on the runway, leaving approximately 1000 meters of available runway length.
Upon touchdown, the aircraft encountered water patches on the runway and experienced aquaplaning. Despite the crew applying full manual braking and deploying thrust reversers, the aircraft failed to decelerate and began skidding toward the left of the centerline. As the aircraft approached the end of the runway, the pilot executed a 45-degree right turn. After crossing the 'N 10' taxi track, the aircraft exited the paved surface and entered an unpaved, wet area. The aircraft rolled over drainage pipes before coming to a halt near an open drain. There were 0 fatalities and 0 injuries as all passengers deplaned safely, and no fire occurred.
Findings
- The runway was operating under a reduced length of 1703 meters due to maintenance requirements.
- ATC failed to relay critical information regarding a previous aircraft's report of aquaplaning to the incoming crew.
- The aircraft was operating at an excessive speed and altitude relative to the established landing profile.
- The presence of water patches on the runway surface contributed to the loss of braking effectiveness.