Boeing 737-300 Runway Excursion at Wamena Airport (PK-BBS)

Incident Overview and Flight History On 24 October 2014, a Boeing 737-300 Freighter with registration PK-BBS, operated by PT. Cardig Air, was conducting a scheduled cargo flight from Sentani Airport (WAJJ) in Jayapura to Wamena Airport (WAJW) in Papua, Indonesia. The flight, designated 8F197, departed at 03:34 UTC and was the second scheduled flight of the day for the aircraft and crew. The flight was crewed by two pilots, with the Pilot in Command (PIC) acting as Pilot Flying (PF) and the Second in Command (SIC) acting as Pilot Monitoring (PM). The aircraft carried 14,844 kg of cargo and had an estimated landing weight of 51,114 kg. ## Operational Context and Approach Wamena Airport is situated in a valley surrounded by mountains, with no published instrument approach procedures; all arrivals and departures were conducted under Visual Flight Rules (VFR). The aircraft was configured for landing with 40° flaps, a Vref of 133 knots, and auto-brake setting 3. Approximately 15 minutes before the occurrence, weather reports indicated calm winds, 10 km visibility, and rain in the vicinity of the airport. The Wamena Tower advised the crew that there was no rain on the runway and cleared them to land on Runway 15. ## Occurrence and Aftermath At 04:06:16 UTC, the aircraft touched down approximately 719 meters beyond the touchdown zone. During the landing roll, the pilot reported feeling no deceleration and applied manual brakes while maintaining full reverse thrust. The aircraft ultimately came to a stop in the Runway End Safety Area (RESA). The crew subsequently taxied the aircraft from the RESA to the apron. Post-incident inspections revealed that tires 3 and 4 were spotted, both engine fan blades were damaged, and the left side of the aircraft's horizontal stabilizer was damaged. ## Investigation Findings The KNKT investigation concluded that the approach was conducted when weather conditions were below the minimums for VFR, which required a return to Jayapura according to the company's Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). This decision resulted in the aircraft touching down significantly beyond the intended touchdown zone. The KNKT noted that PT. Cardig Air had implemented relevant safety actions following the incident, and therefore no further safety recommendations were issued to the operator. However, safety recommendations were issued to the Wamena Airport Management and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).