What happened
On 13 April 2010, a Boeing 737-300, registration PK-MDE, operated by PT. Merpati Nusantara, overran the runway at Rendani Airport in Manokwari, Papua. The flight, MZ 836, had been delayed by several hours due to heavy rainfall in the area.
As the aircraft approached runway 35, air traffic control informed the crew that the runway was wet. While the crew acknowledged the wind conditions, they did not explicitly acknowledge the wet runway status in their readback. Witnesses observed that although the aircraft touched down normally approximately 120 meters from the threshold, the engine reverse thrust was not utilized during the landing roll. Consequently, the aircraft exited the departure end of the runway and came to rest 205 meters beyond the pavement in the Rendably River, an area characterized by shallow, muddy water and mangroves.
The investigation
The investigation into the accident highlighted several critical operational and infrastructural concerns. Investigators noted that the aircraft's company operations manual was outdated, and the crew lacked the current Boeing 737-300 Flight Crew Operations Manual (FCOM) and Quick Reference Handbook (QRH), as the aircraft was carrying manuals intended for a different model. Furthermore, the investigation found that the airline's policy regarding actual landing distance calculations had not been effectively implemented.
Emergency response challenges were also identified. Due to the steep terrain located just 155 meters from the runway end, airport rescue and fire fighting services were unable to take a direct route and required approximately 10 minutes to reach the wreckage. During the evacuation, the crew and passengers faced difficulties, including a fractured fuselage and the fact that one escape slide failed to inflate and another deflated shortly after use.
Safety action
The NTSC issued several recommendations to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the operator. Key recommendations include:
- Ensuring the airline adheres to operational specifications, specifically regarding mandatory documentation and crew training.
- Conducting an urgent review of runway end safety areas (RESA) at Rendani Airport and other Indonesian airports to ensure they meet ICAO Annex 14 standards.
- Verifying that airport rescue and fire fighting services meet minimum timeliness and coverage requirements.
- Ensuring that visual approach slope guidance systems are properly maintained and operational.