Boeing 747-212B Overruns Runway at Düsseldorf in 2005

Incident Overview On 24 January 2005, a Boeing 747-212B cargo aircraft overran the end of a snow-covered runway at Düsseldorf Airport. The aircraft was heavily damaged, but all occupants remained uninjured. ## Flight Details The aircraft departed Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on 23 January 2005 at 22:34 UTC for Düsseldorf. It was the first aircraft to approach Düsseldorf on the morning of 24 January 2005. The flight crew consisted of the pilot in command, a copilot, and a flight engineer. ## Approach and Weather During the approach, air traffic control informed the crew that braking action was reported as good, but snow had started again and further measurements were being conducted. The crew discussed using medium autobrakes due to the snowfall. ## Cause and Contributing Factors The investigation attributed the accident to braking values communicated to the crew not reflecting the actual runway conditions, which had deteriorated due to heavy snowfall since the last measurement. Contributing factors included the rapid change in weather and the lack of a reliable method for measuring braking coefficients under all weather conditions.