Synopsis
On 17 September 2011, an Embraer ERJ-190 was operating a scheduled flight from Loja to Quito, Ecuador, carrying 6 crew members (pilot, copilot, dispatcher, and three cabin attendants) and 97 passengers. Due to a delay of 46 minutes, the flight was authorized to depart after the normal operating hours of Loja airport.
Sequence of Events
The flight proceeded under instrument flight rules. During the approach to Quito's Mariscal Sucre Airport, approach control provided vectoring for runway 35. At 00:04:28 UTC, when selecting flaps for landing, an EICAS message indicated a slat/flap system failure. The crew attempted to reset the system five times without success; the slats remained at position 0, and the flaps extended only to position 2. Despite this, they decided to continue the approach and land without executing the manufacturer's procedures for this failure as per the Quick Reference Handbook.
The aircraft touched down 880 meters from the threshold of runway 35, overran the runway, and came to a stop 300 meters beyond the runway end. During the overrun, the aircraft struck the localizer antennas of the instrument landing system, the airport perimeter fence, and a portion of a house. The aircraft came to rest oriented at approximately 10 degrees magnetic.
Injuries
According to the report, six crew members and five passengers sustained minor injuries. The remaining occupants had no injuries.
Aircraft Damage
Forces from the impact caused the main landing gear and nose landing gear to break. Substantial damage was observed to the lower fuselage and the leading edges of the wings. The left and right main landing gear legs fractured after impacting the perimeter wall base; the nose landing gear showed rearward displacement. Tires on the main landing gear were cut by the wall base. The brake system showed no evidence of damage from the impacts.
Probable Cause
The investigative board determined the probable cause was the crew's decision to continue the approach and landing without executing the emergency and abnormal procedures specified by the manufacturer in the Quick Reference Handbook for slat/flap system malfunctions, resulting in an excessively long landing.