Accident Overview
On an unspecified date, an IAI Westwind II 1124A, registration RP-C5880, operated by Lionair Inc., was destroyed following a runway excursion while taking off from Runway 06 at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Manila, Philippines. The aircraft was on a medical evacuation flight bound for Haneda, Japan. All eight occupants—six Filipino, one Canadian, and one American citizen—were fatally injured.
Sequence of Events
During the takeoff roll, before reaching taxiway R2, sparks were observed on the runway. The aircraft continued until it came to a complete stop and was engulfed by fire. Chunks of rubber and metal debris were present on the runway. Scrape marks from the right-hand (RH) wheel hub were visible. Tire marks followed by scrape marks from the left-hand (LH) tire and wheel hub were seen after the taxiway H1 intersection. A large portion of the remaining LH tire was recovered from a grassy area near taxiway H1.
After exiting the asphalted portion of the runway safety area, the aircraft initially ran over two runway edge lights, then impacted a concrete electric junction box and came to a complete stop at the runway secondary fence. The aircraft settled approximately 172 meters from the end of Runway 06, in an upright position at coordinates 14°30'53.50"N; 121°1'48.48"E, with a heading of 170 degrees.
Operational Conditions
The flight was conducted under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR). A Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) for NAIA Runway 06/24 closure was declared at 2000H and the runway opened for operation at 0420H on March 30, 2020.
Probable Cause
Official findings state that the accident was caused by the combination of the decision of the pilot flying (PF) to abort the takeoff after VR, resulting in a runway excursion, and incorrect pilot techniques or procedures in the high-speed rejected takeoff. Contributing factors include: operational pressures related to schedule delay due to late filing of the flight plan, compelling the crew to rush to meet the schedule demand; and crew complacency by skipping a required briefing item in the before-takeoff checklist, specifically considerations in the event of a malfunction before or after V1.