What happened
On February 23, 2001, a Cessna 525 Citation was performing a commercial passenger flight from Hamburg-Fuhlsbüttel to Berlin-Tempelhof. The flight was operated by a two-pilot crew. During the approach to runway 27L, the aircraft was flying an instrument landing system (ILS) approach, which was being manually flown by the co-pilot.
As the aircraft descended, the crew noted that the plane remained above the glidepath for much of the approach. The approach speed was significantly higher than the required parameters, recorded at approximately 160 kt compared to the target speed of 103 kt. Upon breaking through the cloud layer at 300 ft, the pilot in command observed a snow-covered runway.
The aircraft landed at 10:19 local time with a slight tailwind. After touchdown, the crew deployed the spoilers, but the wheel brakes proved to be virtually ineffective due to the runway conditions. The aircraft slid approximately 50 meters past the end of the runway, striking runway lighting and coming to a rest near the localizer antenna. The aircraft sustained heavy damage to the nose gear, parts of the main landing gear, and the flaps, while airport infrastructure was also damaged. There were no injuries to the crew or passenger.
The investigation
The BFU investigation focused on the flight path reconstruction and the runway surface conditions. Radar data analysis confirmed that the approach was not stabilized, as the aircraft remained above the glidepath and maintained excessive speed until just before the threshold. Investigators also examined the meteorological conditions, noting that while the ATIS had reported heavy snowfall and specific braking action, the actual braking action at the time of landing had deteriorated to "poor" due to fresh snow accumulation.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was an unstable approach characterized by excessive airspeed and a late touchdown, approximately 250 to 550 meters behind the ILS touchdown point.
- The pilot in command failed to monitor the co-pilot's performance or issue a command to go around despite the unstable parameters.
- The accumulation of fresh snow on the runway rendered the wheel brakes ineffective.
- Inaccurate braking action information contributed to the event, as the crew relied on outdated ATIS data that suggested better conditions than were actually present.