No fatalities

1980-01-27: Boeing 720 (HK-725) — Avianca — Quito-Mariscal Sucre (City), Ecuador

Quito-Mariscal Sucre (City), EcuadorLanding (descent or approach)

On January 27, 1980, a Boeing 720 (registration HK-725) operated by Avianca was involved in an aviation accident near Quito-Mariscal Sucre (City), Ecuador during landing or approach. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: Wrong approach configuration on part of the crew who landed at an excessive speed of 143 knots instead of the requested 123 knots according to actual flight conditions. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

Sourcesthe Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A)Primary reportUpdated 1781224325Data APIEditorial standards

An aircraft overran the runway after landing at Quito-Mariscal Sucre Airport, damaging the nose gear and coming to rest 70 meters past the runway end. There were no casualties, but the aircraft was written off.

Incident

After touching down at Quito-Mariscal Sucre Airport, the aircraft was unable to stop within the remaining runway distance. It overran the runway end, lost its nose gear, and came to a halt approximately 70 meters beyond the runway threshold.

Damage

The aircraft sustained damage beyond repair as a result of the overrun. There were no casualties reported.

Probable Cause

According to the official investigation, the incident was caused by a wrong approach configuration on the part of the crew. The aircraft landed at an excessive speed of 143 knots, instead of the requested 123 knots based on actual flight conditions. Additionally, the touchdown point was 300 meters past the runway threshold, and the crew failed to activate the emergency brakes.