Air Nostrum CRJ Incident at Valencia Airport (EC-HHI)

Incident Overview and Flight Details On Saturday, October 21, 2000, at 08:35 local time, an Air Nostrum Bombardier Canadair CL-600-2B19 (CRJ), registration EC-HHI, was involved in an incident at Valencia Airport. The aircraft, powered by two General Electric CF-34-3B1 engines, had departed Valencia at 08:15 local time for a 30-minute functional flight test of the Air Driven Generator (ADG). The flight, designated YW-001P, was conducted in accordance with a maintenance program requirement to test emergency electrical power every 3,000 flight hours or 18 months. The crew consisted of a pilot in command, a first officer, and a maintenance technician. ## Operational Sequence and Anomalies During the test, the aircraft flew east over the Mediterranean Sea before turning west toward the airport. Approximately 20 nautical miles from the airport, at 10,000 feet and 180 knots, the ADG test began. At this point, warnings for both Anti-Skid systems failed. The pilot in command selected the Anti-Skid systems to OFF, and the aircraft continued its approach to runway 30 for an abnormal landing with both systems inoperative. The estimated weight of the aircraft prior to landing was 18,200 kg. ## Landing and Aftermath During the landing rollout, all four main landing gear tires burst. The aircraft skidded on the paved runway surface and came to a stop in the last third of the runway, approximately 2,000 meters from the threshold of runway 30. The aircraft's final orientation was approximately 40 degrees to the right of the runway centerline. Because the wheels were not rotating, the crew could not taxi off the runway; they set the parking brake and shut down the engines. The three occupants did not perform an emergency evacuation as the pilot in command did not deem it necessary. Emergency services responded immediately. ## Damage and Impact The aircraft sustained the burst of all four main landing gear tires, along with irreparable damage to the wheel rims and brake assemblies. The wheel rims had lost a segment of their circumference due to abrasion against the asphalt. Runway 12-30 was closed from 08:45 to 11:05 local time to install new wheels so the aircraft could be towed, affecting the schedules of several other flights. ## Crew and Aircraft Information The pilot in command was 42 years old with 5,913 total flight hours and 3,112 hours on the CRJ type. The first officer was 43 years old with 2,042 total flight hours and 102 hours on the CRJ type. The aircraft was maintained according to its approved program, with no recorded Anti-Skid anomalies since March 2000. The flight data recorder (FDR) data was successfully downloaded, while the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) information was not available.