What happened
On August 21, 2011, at 03:15 UTC, an Airbus A3CT-243, registration OD-MEA, was performing an ILS approach to Runway 21 at Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. The flight, operated by Middle East Airlines, was arriving from Beirut.
During the final approach, the pilot in command reported seeing the runway. As the aircraft continued its descent, the co-pilot noticed the aircraft was drifting toward the left-side runway edge lights and requested an immediate left turn. The pilot executed the maneuver, but during the landing roll, the pilot applied full power to initiate a go-around. During this sequence, the left main landing gear veered off the paved surface, causing the aircraft to exit the runway and travel onto the left shoulder/embankment.
Following the excursion, the crew remained on the ground and requested a runway inspection. The pilot reported to Air Traffic Control that visibility on the runway had become zero. After a period of holding at 2,700 feet and receiving updates that weather conditions were not improving, the crew decided to divert to Accra, Ghana, where the aircraft landed safely.
The investigation
The investigation, conducted by the Côte d'Ivoire National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC) with assistance from the French BEA, focused on the flight path, meteorological conditions, and the state of airport lighting. Investigators examined the flight data recorder (FDR) to reconstruct the aircraft's trajectory and analyzed cockpit communications. The investigation also looked into the functionality of the transmissometer and the visibility measurements provided by the meteorological service during the approach.