MD-82 lands on closed runway at Rome Fiumicino

Casualties unknown • In prossimità del punto TEANO, IT

An Alitalia MD-82 mistakenly landed on a closed runway at Rome Fiumicino airport due to a loss of situational awareness and inadequate crew coordination.

What happened

On November 24, 2001, an MD-82, registration I-DAWE, operating a scheduled flight from Tirana to Rome, landed on runway 16L at Rome Fiumicino airport. Although the crew had been cleared to land on runway 16C, the aircraft instead occupied runway 16L, which was closed to all traffic at the time due to ongoing maintenance work.

During the approach, the pilot in command (PF) transitioned to manual flight after spotting the airport. While the crew correctly acknowledged instructions to intercept the ILS for runway 16C and received landing clearance for that specific runway, the aircraft drifted onto the parallel closed runway. The error was identified by the tower controller via ground radar after the aircraft had touched down. A "follow me" vehicle was subsequently deployed to guide the aircraft to a taxiway to vacate the closed runway.

The investigation

The ANSV investigation focused on the crew's performance and flight planning. The investigation established that the pilots were highly experienced and familiar with the airport, as it served as their home base. The weather conditions were excellent (CAVOK), which likely contributed to a reliance on visual cues rather than instrument monitoring.

Investigators examined the cockpit procedures, noting that while the crew had conducted a briefing, the approach planning was insufficient. Specifically, the crew failed to adequately account for the NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) indicating the closure of runway 16L. The investigation also reviewed the radio communications, which confirmed that there were no misunderstandings regarding the landing clearance itself; the error occurred during the execution of the flight path.

Findings

The primary cause of the event was a loss of situational awareness and a breakdown in crew integration.
The pilot not flying (PNF) failed to maintain effective cross-checking of the aircraft's position relative to the radio navigation aids.
The crew's familiarity with the airport and the favorable weather conditions likely led to a visual-centric approach that bypassed necessary instrument monitoring.
There was a lack of effective approach planning regarding the active runway constraints.
No technical malfunctions or medical issues were identified as contributing factors.

Probable cause

The incident was caused by a significant reduction in situational awareness and a failure in crew integration, where the lack of continuous instrumental cross-checking allowed the aircraft to deviate from the authorized approach path onto a closed runway.

Frequently asked questions

What happened in the 2006-11-20 MD-82, accident near In prossimità del punto TEANO, IT?

An Alitalia MD-82 mistakenly landed on a closed runway at Rome Fiumicino airport due to a loss of situational awareness and inadequate crew coordination.

What aircraft was involved and where did it happen?

The accident on 2006-11-20 involved a MD-82,, registration I-DAWS, at In prossimità del punto TEANO, IT.

What was the probable cause of the accident?

The incident was caused by a significant reduction in situational awareness and a failure in crew integration, where the lack of continuous instrumental cross-checking allowed the aircraft to deviate from the authorized approach path onto a closed runway.

Loading the flight search…