What happened
On 09 August 2023, an ATR 72-212A, registration EC-MVI, operated by Naysa, was performing a scheduled domestic flight from Lanzarote to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. During the landing roll-out on runway 0．3L at Gran Canaria Airport, the crew noticed a slight leftward deviation from the centerline, which they corrected. However, the aircraft then decelerated much more rapidly than expected, coming to a sudden halt in the center of the runway.
Upon inspection, it was discovered that the main landing gear had sustained damage. The tyres and rims of all four main wheels showed signs of severe abrasion, deformation, and de-beading. The friction caused by the locked wheels left distinct parallel black marks on the runway, which eventually transitioned into white grooves where the metal rims had made contact with the pavement. There were no injuries to the 4 crew members or 69 passengers on board.
The investigation
The CIAIAC investigation analyzed flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR) data. The FDR revealed that at 07:27:15 UTC, while in the cruise phase, the brake pressure suddenly increased from approximately 40 psi to 3070 psi and remained at that level for the rest of the flight.
Analysis of the CVR provided context for this pressure spike. During the cruise phase, the crew was engaged in taking photographs within the cockpit. The captain was heard discussing the composition of a photo, specifically mentioning that a certain control was obstructing the view of the throttle. Given the location of the parking brake lever relative to the throttles, investigators concluded the captain moved the lever to the 'PARKING' position to clear the view for the photograph and subsequently failed to return it to the 'OFF' position.
Furthermore, the investigation found that although the Engine and Warning Display (EWD) was showing an amber 'PRKG BRK ON' message, the crew failed to notice or react to this warning during the before-landing checklist procedures.
Findings
- The parking brake was manually activated during the cruise phase of the flight.
- The aircraft landed with the parking brake engaged.
- The crew did not identify the engaged brake until the aircraft had nearly stopped on the runway.
- The primary cause of the incident was the execution of a landing with the parking brake on.
- Contributing factors included crew overconfidence and complacency, which led to the deviation from standard operating procedures and the failure to notice the cockpit warning message.