Incident Overview
On 21 December 2015, an Embraer ERJ 190-200 (Embraer 195), registered PK-KDC, operated by Kalstar Aviation on a scheduled passenger flight, overran the runway at El Tari International Airport (WATT), Kupang. The flight, number KD676, originated from H. Hasan Aroeboesman Airport (WATE) Ende and was the second of three scheduled sectors from Bali to Makassar via Ende and Kupang.
Flight from Bali to Ende
The aircraft departed I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport (WADD) Bali at 0734 UTC, delayed 74 minutes due to late arrival from the previous flight. On the Bali–Ende leg, the Pilot in Command (PIC) acted as pilot monitoring (PM) and the Second in Command (SIC) as pilot flying (PF). The aircraft landed at Ende at 0839 UTC.
Decision to Depart to Kupang
During transit at Ende, the PIC received a short message from a Kalstar Aviation flight operations officer in Kupang reporting visibility at Kupang as 1 km. The Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAFOR) indicated visibility would improve by the time of arrival. Additionally, Ende’s operating hours were scheduled to close at 0900 UTC but were extended. The aircraft departed Ende at 0916 UTC with two pilots, three flight attendants, and 125 passengers. The PIC acted as PM, SIC as PF. No departure briefing was performed by the PF.
Approach and Landing
After takeoff, the pilots set the Flight Management System (FMS) for direct to KPG VOR and climbed to Flight Level 175 (17,500 feet). During climb, the PIC instructed a 20-knot speed reduction to wait for weather improvement. En route, they monitored El Tari Tower advising another pilot that visibility was 1 km, below the 3.9 km approach minima. At 0927 UTC, the pilot contacted El Tari Tower, requesting direct to the initial approach point SEMAU. At 0932 UTC, when 62 nautical miles out, the aircraft began descent to 10,000 feet. Passing FL 150, the pilot requested a left turn to the inbound track of the VOR/DME approach for runway 07 to avoid cloud indicated by magenta on weather radar. At 0941 UTC, the tower reported visibility on runway 07 as 4 km and cleared the crew for an RNAV approach to runway 07, requesting a report when the runway was in sight. The crew planned an RNAV approach with landing configuration flap 5 and auto-brake low. At 0943 UTC, passing 2,500 feet, the pilot reported the runway in sight. The tower advised calm wind and issued landing clearance.
During the approach, the PF noticed all Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) lights were white, indicating the aircraft was too high. To increase drag, the crew extended the landing gear first—about 7 nautical miles from the threshold—then selected flaps 1 and 2, deviating from the published sequence (flap 1, flap 2, gear down, flap 3, flap 5). On final approach, the aural warning “HIGH SPEED HIGH SPEED” sounded; the SIC observed airspeed around 200 knots. The pilots decided to continue, believing the 2,500-meter runway sufficient, comparing it to Ende’s 1,650-meter runway. On short final, the aircraft was on the correct glide path at approximately 205 knots. The Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) activated “TOO LOW TERRAIN.” The aircraft touched down near the runway midpoint. After touchdown, the PF applied thrust reverser. Realizing an overrun was imminent and intending to avoid approach lights, the PIC turned the aircraft right. It stopped about 200 meters from the end of runway 07. At 0946 UTC, the tower controller observed the overrun, activated the crash bell, and notified Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF).
Probable Cause
The official investigation identified the following contributing factors:
- The steep authority gradient resulted in lack of synergy that contributed to least of alternation to correct the improper condition.
- Improper flight management on approach resulted to the aircraft not fully configured for landing, prolong and high speed on touchdown combined with low brake pressure application resulted in insufficient runway for deceleration.
- The deviation of pilot performance was undetected by the management oversight system.