What happened
On the day of the incident, Flight DV110 was performing a multi-leg cargo operation traveling from Abidjan to Lagos via Accra. After departing Accra at 11:45 hrs with a total cargo weight of approximately 22,733 kg, the aircraft proceeded toward its destination. While cruising at FL 210, the flight established contact with Lagos Area Control and received clearance for an ILS approach to runway 18L.
As the aircraft descended through various altitudes, including clearances down to 3,500 feet and eventually 2,200 feet, it reported being established on the localizer. At 13:03 hrs, while positioned 2 NM from the threshold, the tower cleared the aircraft for landing but issued a specific warning regarding the wet runway surface. Despite the presence of rain and low cloud ceilings, the flight proceeded with the landing attempt.
Upon touchdown, the captain determined that the aircraft could not be stopped within the available runway distance and initiated a go-around maneuver. However, the procedure was not executed correctly, resulting in the aircraft overshooting the runway by approximately 400 meters into the adjacent grass area. The incident resulted in serious damage to the aircraft, though there were no injuries reported among the crew.
Findings
Investigations into the accident highlighted several critical errors regarding flight management and decision-making:
- The crew chose to proceed with an unstabilized approach despite facing adverse weather conditions.
- There was a failure in leadership, as the captain did not assume control of the aircraft from the first officer during the period of deteriorating weather.
- Inadequate crew resource management contributed significantly to the outcome of the landing attempt.