Accident Details
The approach to Guatemala City-La Aurora Airport was conducted in poor weather conditions with rain, visibility of three miles, and a cloud ceiling below 2,000 feet. The crew was cleared to land on runway 19. The wind was from 030° at 8 knots, resulting in a tailwind component during landing. The aircraft touched down 1,070 meters past the threshold of runway 19, which has a total length of 2,763 meters. The landing speed was 17 knots above the reference speed (Vref).
Upon touchdown, the crew initiated braking and deployed thrust reversers. When approximately 300 meters from the runway end, the captain decided to veer the aircraft off the runway to the left. At a speed of about 90 knots, the aircraft crossed a perimeter fence, descended an embankment, and came to rest after colliding with several houses.
All 236 occupants evacuated the aircraft safely. The aircraft sustained damage beyond repair. Three people on the ground received minor injuries.
Findings
The official investigation reported several findings:
- The aircraft was approaching runway 19 above the glide path.
- The landing speed was 17 knots above Vref.
- The runway surface was wet, limiting braking effectiveness.
- The aircraft landed too far down the wet runway, reducing the available landing distance.
- The landing was conducted with a tailwind component.
- The crew did not initiate a go-around procedure.
Probable Cause
The probable cause was determined to be poor approach planning and landing configuration on the part of the flying crew.