What happened
On October 14, 2014, an ATR 42-600, registration V2-LIK, was performing a commercial passenger flight from Saint Lucia to Martinique Aimé Césaire Airport. The flight, operated by Leeward Islands Air Transport (LIAT), was operating with a significant delay of nearly three hours due to the recent passage of Hurricane Gonzalo.
During the approach to runway 10, the crew was informed by Air Traffic Control (ATC) that the airport was scheduled to close shortly after their arrival and that runway maintenance was underway. While the ATIS and ATC communications noted that only 1,500 meters of runway were available, the crew was not specifically alerted to the presence of a displaced threshold.
As the aircraft descended, the pilot flying noted the landing area, but the crew did not identify the specific location of the temporary threshold. The aircraft touched down 940 meters from the start of runway 10, which placed it 560 meters beyond the temporary displaced threshold, directly within the active construction zone. During the landing roll, the aircraft struck a temporary runway lighting unit, causing damage to the left main landing gear.
The investigation
The BEA investigation focused on the crew's situational awareness and the effectiveness of the information provided regarding the runway works. Investigators examined the flight preparation process, noting that the flight folder contained the necessary SUP AIP information regarding the works, but the crew had not consulted it.
Technical analysis of the runway markings revealed that while white crosses were used to mark the closed portion of the runway, they were only placed upstream of the work zone. Furthermore, the newly renovated section of the runway featured very prominent, permanent markings that were more visible than the temporary ones. The investigation also looked into the airline's operations department, finding that a lack of personnel had affected their ability to ensure crews were specifically alerted to the updated flight documentation.