Accident Summary
A cargo flight operating on behalf of Lineas Aéreas Suramericanas experienced a runway overrun during landing at Bogotá-El Dorado Airport. The aircraft was destroyed, but all three crew members emerged without injury.
Sequence of Events
The flight originated from Miami-Intl Airport and proceeded without incident until the approach to Bogotá. The crew conducted a night approach to runway 13L. During the final approach phase, the aircraft was observed to be unstable and flying too low. The Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) activated five times, sounding alerts in two different modes.
In response, the captain increased engine power and elected to gain altitude, causing the aircraft to overshoot the glide path. The aircraft then landed at an excessive speed of 180 knots, touching down approximately 1,500 feet past the runway threshold. Runway 13L has a length of 3,800 meters.
After touchdown, the crew initiated braking procedures but were unable to stop within the remaining runway distance. The aircraft overran the end of the runway, losing its landing gear, colliding with the Instrument Landing System (ILS) equipment, and losing both engines number 1 and 3. It came to rest several hundred meters further in a grassy area. All three crew members evacuated without injury. The aircraft sustained damage beyond economical repair.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined the probable cause to be a departure from runway 13 at El Dorado airport as a result of landing at a speed of 180 knots and 1,500 feet from the threshold, during which the spoilers were not deployed and hydroplaning by the main landing gear reduced braking effectiveness. Contributing factors included the crew's decision to continue an unstabilized approach contrary to the airline's operations manual, omission of checklist items and callouts that diminished situational awareness regarding approach parameters and key system monitoring (such as spoiler extension after landing), and failure to respond to the GPWS alarms that sounded five times in two different modes during final approach.