What happened
On August 28, 2008, a Raytheon RA 390 Premier 1 was performing a flight from Venice to Straubing with a crew of two and three passengers. The aircraft landed on runway 28 at approximately 08:54 local time. Shortly after touchdown, the pilot activated the lift dump lever and subsequently applied the brakes.
As the aircraft decelerated, the pilot noted a small movement, described as "skipping," just before reaching the halfway marker. Following this movement, the aircraft drifted to the right of the runway centerline. Despite the pilot's attempts to maintain the centerline using both the brakes and nosewheel steering, the aircraft left the paved surface. The aircraft came to a stop on a grass strip approximately 70 meters from the runway.
The investigation
The BFU examined the aircraft and the runway conditions at the time of the incident. The runway surface was dry, and no foreign object debris (FOD) was identified. Investigators found a continuous track left by the right main landing gear, which ran parallel to the centerline before curving toward the right edge of the runway.
Examination of the aircraft revealed that the right main tire was deflated and torn, and the wheel was locked. While no external structural damage was found on the airframe, the brake wear indicators for the right main brake assembly were 2.5 mm below the required reference limit. The anti-skid system was found to be set to the "Normal" position, and the parking brake was fully engaged. Evidence of anti-skid activation was visible in the braking marks on the runway, which began approximately 200 meters west of the pilot's reported touchdown point.
Findings
- The right main tire was deflated and torn, which contributed to the loss of directional control.
- The brake wear indicators on the right main landing gear were below the allowable service limit.
- The aircraft experienced a lateral movement described as "skipping" during the landing roll, leading to the excursion.