History of the Flight
On 3 October 2000, a Boeing 757-300 (registration 4X-BAU) operated a public transport flight from Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv, to London Gatwick Airport. The crew conducted an ILS approach to Runway 26 Left. The commander served as pilot not flying (PNF) in the right seat, while another captain was pilot flying (PF) in the left seat. Prior to the approach, ATIS Information 'Delta' (1920 hrs) indicated wind 180°/10 kt, visibility 10 km or more, scattered cloud at 2,000 ft, temperature +16°C, dew point +13°C, QNH 1015. ATIS 'Echo' (1950 hrs) showed no significant change. ATC provided landing clearance with surface wind 190°/9 kt. The landing was flown with Flap 25 and Autobrake Mode 2 in slight drizzle.
The crew considered the landing normal, touching down at approximately 135 kt just beyond the PAPIs, slightly left of the runway centreline. Shortly after touchdown, the commander noted the autobrake had disconnected; the PF reselected Mode 2. Reverse thrust was selected, and retardation felt normal until 100 kt when vibration occurred. An engineer on the ground heard two distinct bangs 5–10 seconds apart. The PF slowed the aircraft and vacated the runway at fast exit Golf Romeo. The crew reported a suspected flat tyre and noted loss of hydraulic fluid in left and right systems. ATC declared an Aircraft Ground Incident and inspected the runway, finding tyre debris. The runway was closed at 1955 hrs and reopened at 2044 hrs after sweeping.
Flight Recorder Analysis
The solid-state flight recorders were replayed. The aircraft was configured for landing by 1,300 ft agl with speed brakes armed, Autobrake Mode 2, 25° flap, gear down. Autopilot and autothrust disconnected at 100 ft agl; thrust levers at idle at 20 ft agl. Touchdown occurred firmly (1.5 G) just before the PAPIs (440 m from threshold), slightly right wing down, at 135–137 kt. Ground spoilers deployed automatically.
Three seconds after touchdown, the left thrust lever advanced briefly 5°, then idle reverse was selected and autobrake disarmed. Brake pressure decayed and deceleration dropped from -0.168 G to -0.1 G until reverse thrust increased retardation. Eight seconds after touchdown at 118 kt ground speed, autobrake Mode 2 was reselected; brake pressure rose from zero. Within half a second, the right main landing gear tilt sensor indicated truck tilt (>7°), and roll attitude increased 0.5° right wing down—the likely moment of rear tyre failure. No cockpit voice recorder sound of tyre failure was detected. Deceleration averaged -0.16 G to 85 kt, then reverse was cancelled and manual braking began. At 77 kt, speed brake lever was lowered, stowing spoilers and disarming autobrakes. The aircraft vacated at Golf Romeo, stopped, and parking brake applied. After five minutes, the aircraft moved forward about 10 m under power, then engines shut down.
Runway Condition
Runway 26 had been resurfaced and swept on 29 September 2000. On 3 October, it was inspected three times, the last at 1543 hrs, with no debris found. The preceding aircraft operators confirmed no detached parts. However, the sweeper vehicle used after the incident had not been emptied beforehand, so foreign object debris (FOD) on the runway cannot be discounted.
Aircraft Examination
Markings indicated tyre debris struck the underside of the right wing, including the inboard trailing edge flap, leading edge slat, inboard flap track fairings, right side of fuselage/wing fairing, No 2 engine nacelle and pylon, right MLG doors and components. A 3×8 inch black smudge on the inboard slat suggested a tyre portion was propelled forward. Damage included:
- 3×5 inch piece punched out of the aft inboard flap.
- 24 inch split in the outer skin of a wing lower skin panel forward of the right MLG bay.
- 15 inch split in the outer skin of a wing lower skin panel aft of the right MLG bay.
- Two hydraulic flexible hoses on the right MLG leaking (No 3 wheelbrake line and bogie tilt actuator line). A forward electrical conduit was struck but undamaged.
The remaining tyres had pressures within limits (205-210 psig) except Tyre 5 at 190 psig (5% below minimum).
Tyre and Wheel Examination
Tyres 7 and 8 (right rear) were destroyed; only bead and sidewall portions remained on wheels. The rest was recovered from the runway, including large tread portions and complete shoulder-to-shoulder centre carcasses. No skid marks were found. Both centre carcasses had ragged edges with a spaghetti-like appearance, consistent with separation from sidewalls due to overstress and overtemperature from excessive tyre deflection.
Tyre 7: The centre carcass was intact; no FOD penetration or severe overtemperature. The tread split into three pieces. A small FOD penetration in a tread groove extended through tread and outer plies but not inner layers, though the possibility of deeper damage could not be dismissed.
Tyre 8: The centre carcass had a complete rupture along a diagonal tear with signs of X-rupture typical of tyre bursting. Severe overtemperature was evident, with reverted rubber and exposed bead wires. The tread split into two major and three smaller pieces, the fragmented area likely originating from the burst region.
FOD or deterioration causing pressure loss prior to failure could not be dismissed given the severe roll-flat damage. Wheel examination revealed no defects; heatshields had local deformation from debris contact. Eddy current checks showed no anomalies.