Factual Information
On 20 February 2006 at 22:27 UTC, a Boeing 767-300 aircraft, registration HB-ISE, operated by Belair Airlines as flight number BHP 902, departed from Cancun, Mexico (MMUN) bound for Zurich, Switzerland (LSZH). The flight proceeded uneventfully until the crew was instructed to enter the GIPOL holding pattern.
Due to technical faults on the ground, runway 14 at Zurich Airport was available only for CAT I operations. The prevailing weather conditions required low visibility procedures (LVP). Consequently, approaches and landings were being conducted on runway 16 under LVP. The crew of BHP 902, with the amount of fuel still available, performed an approach and landing on runway 16 using low visibility procedures, even though the operation of that runway was limited to CAT I.
The information that runway 14 was not available for CAT III approaches and landings was not transmitted to the flight crew.
Analysis
The incident was caused by technical faults on the ground that made a landing at Zurich Airport not permitted under the prevailing weather conditions. This led the flight crew to carry out an approach and landing using low visibility procedures, despite runway 16 being restricted to CAT I, due to the fuel remaining. A contributing factor was the failure to communicate that runway 14 was unavailable for CAT III operations.
Causes
The incident is attributable to the fact that technical faults on the ground led to the situation where a landing at Zurich Airport under the prevailing weather conditions was no longer permitted. This resulted in the flight crew, due to the fuel still available, conducting an approach and landing according to low visibility procedures, although the operation of runway 16 was limited to CAT I. The incident was contributed to by the fact that the information that runway 14 was not available for approaches and landings according to CAT III was not transmitted.