Flight Summary
The aircraft, a Fokker F27-500 registered as G-ECAT, departed Dublin at 16:05 local time on the fourth leg of a Public Service Obligation rotation between Sligo and Dublin. The operator held the contract to provide regular air service between Sligo and Dublin, as well as between Donegal and Dublin. The flight was delayed by 10 minutes because the Donegal flight had been cancelled due to strong crosswinds, and arrangements were made to transport those passengers to Sligo and then by bus to Donegal.
Approach and Landing
The en-route segment was uneventful. At 16:22, G-ECAT contacted Sligo Tower on frequency 122.10 MHz and requested the latest weather for Sligo. The tower controller transmitted the 16:30 actual weather. At 16:50, the aircraft was handed over from Shannon Control to Sligo Tower, descending to 3,500 feet to the SLG beacon for an NDB/DME approach to Runway 11. Sligo Tower then transmitted the Donegal weather. At 16:53, the aircraft called overhead the SLG beacon and was cleared for the approach. At 17:00, G-ECAT reported at the Final Approach Fix and was cleared to land, with a wind of 120 degrees at 15 knots, gusting to 29 knots. At 17:01, just prior to landing, a wind check gave 120 degrees at 15 knots, gusting to 31 knots.
Accident Sequence
At 17:02, the aircraft made an initial touchdown approximately at the mid-point of the runway. Several witnesses observed that it did not immediately decelerate. The aircraft continued down the runway until it departed the paved surface on the right-hand side at the threshold of Runway 29. The tower controller, upon seeing the aircraft pass the apron taxiway/runway intersection at abnormally high speed, immediately sounded the crash alarm. The aircraft then traveled through a prepared run-off area at the end of the runway for a further 50 meters before coming to rest at 17:02:30. The main wheels became embedded in boulders that formed part of an embankment leading down to the sea, approximately one meter short of where the boulders drop into the sea. The nose wheel, cockpit, and forward fuselage cleared the top of the embankment, and the aircraft tilted approximately 15 to 20 degrees nose down onto the outgoing tide. Full tide was due at 04:00 the following day at a depth of 3.9 meters.
Aftermath
The tower controller immediately contacted the Shannon ATC Station Manager to advise of the runway excursion and called emergency services (Gardai, Fire Brigade, and Ambulance) via 999.
Probable Cause
The probable cause of this accident was a fast, low approach, leading to the aircraft landing late, beyond the normal touchdown point, thereby making it impossible to stop the aircraft on the remaining runway available. Contributory causes included: 1) the lack of an adequate overrun area before the aircraft, failing to stop on the runway, enters the sea; 2) the lack of experience of the operator in scheduled air operations; and 3) the changing operational management structure and uncertain nature of the direction of the company with regard to aircraft type and network development.