What happened
An aircraft departed from Berlin-Tempelhof Airport and proceeded to Mannheim Airport to perform a LOC/DME approach for runway 27. During the approach phase, the pilot-in-command, who was the co-pilot, communicated to the captain that landing at Mannheim presented difficulties. During the descent, the aircraft dropped below the required altitude of 5,000 feet. At 3,800 feet, which was 100 feet below the Minimum Sector Altitude, the captain ordered the co-pilot to stop the descent and climb back to the prescribed 5,000 feet. Once the aircraft was established on the localizer, the approach continued.
As the aircraft neared the runway, it floated over the threshold and the touchdown zone, eventually making contact with the runway surface approximately 530 metres beyond the threshold. Following touchdown, the crew struggled to decelerate the aircraft, and it was unable to stop within the remaining 480 metres of the runway. The aircraft overran the runway at a speed of 50 knots, causing the loss of the left main landing gear before the aircraft came to a stop against an embankment. There were no fatalities among the 27 occupants, all of whom evacuated the aircraft safely. The aircraft sustained damage that rendered it a total loss.
Findings
- The aircraft descended below the prescribed altitude of 5,000 feet during the approach.
- The aircraft landed too far down the runway after floating over the touchdown zone, leaving insufficient distance to stop.