What happened
On the night of February 8, 2009, an Air Méditerranée Airbus A321-211, registration F-GYAJ, was performing a scheduled charter flight from Dakar to Paris Charles de Gaulle. During the approach to runway 26L, the crew was operating under night conditions with light snowfall. The aircraft touched down approximately 1,050 meters from the threshold with a ground speed of 139 knots.
Immediately following touchdown, the spoilers deployed and the autobrake system activated. However, the crew noted a lack of deceleration. As the aircraft approached the end of the runway, the pilot applied maximum reverse thrust and attempted to use the brakes manually, but the deceleration remained irregular and insufficient. While attempting to exit via taxiway V1 at a ground speed of 60 knots, the aircraft failed to negotiate the turn, overshot the taxiway, and veered off the paved surface. The left main landing gear struck a concrete base of a runway light, and the aircraft eventually came to a stop in the grass. There were no fatalities among the 221 passengers and 8 crew members, though the aircraft sustained substantial damage to the landing gear and both engines.
The investigation
The BEA investigation focused on the runway surface conditions and the effectiveness of the braking performance. Investigators examined the aircraft's flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR) to reconstruct the deceleration sequence. The investigation also reviewed the airport's winter maintenance strategy, specifically the use of potassium formate for chemical de-icing, and the coordination between the airport's snow command center and the air traffic control services. Technical examinations of the braking units and the runway's friction coefficient were also conducted to determine why the aircraft was unable to stop within the available runway distance.