Flight History
On 6 March 2008, a Transall C-160 aircraft, registered PK-VTQ, operated by PT. Manunggal Air, was conducting an unscheduled freight flight from Sentani Airport, Jayapura, to Wamena Airport, Papua. The aircraft carried six occupants: two pilots, one flight engineer, one Aircraft Maintenance Engineer, one Mechanic, and one Flight Operation Officer.
During the landing roll at Wamena, the Beta lights did not illuminate, preventing the use of reverse thrust. The pilots applied maximum brake action to slow the aircraft. The aircraft rolled through to the end of runway 15 and then backtracked toward taxiway "E", approximately 450 meters from the departure end of runway 15.
Fire and Occupant Response
The air traffic controller informed the crew that heavy smoke was coming from the left main wheels and activated the crash alarm. The pilots stopped the aircraft on taxiway "E", and all occupants disembarked. They attempted to extinguish the wheel-bay fire with a hand-held extinguisher.
The airport rescue fire fighting service (RFFS) arrived and began applying foam approximately 15 minutes after the alarm. The fire could not be extinguished, and it destroyed the aircraft and its cargo, which included fuel in drums.
Investigation Findings
The investigation determined that the left main wheels' brakes overheated during the landing roll. Due to the extreme fire damage, the investigation was unable to determine the condition of the brake pads at the time of the landing and whether that condition may have contributed to the overheating. The fire initiated in the brake area of one or more left main landing gear wheels. The left aft main wheels' inner and outer brake disks were substantially damaged, with sections burnt away.
The fire damage was extensive; the aircraft's wreckage showed molten metal on the runway in the wheel tracks. The left main landing gear area was severely affected, and the wings collapsed onto the main wheel area. Both the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder sustained fire damage but their contents were undamaged.
Conclusions
The investigation concluded that the left main wheels' brakes overheated, leading to a fire that destroyed the aircraft.