Nigerian inquiry finds twinjet crossed threshold at height of more than 90ft.
Nigerian investigators have disclosed that an Enugu Air Embraer 170 touched down more than two-thirds of the way along Benin airport’s runway before being badly damaged as it overran.
The aircraft crossed the threshold of runway 05 at a height of 93.5ft – far above the typical 50ft – and touched down 1,641m beyond it.
Runway 05 has a declared available landing distance of 2,400m.
Weather conditions had deteriorated during the aircraft’s arrival on 23 July, state preliminary findings from the Nigerian safety investigation bureau.
The crew had requested the area navigation approach to runway 05.
This was despite a tailwind component and being told by Benin tower that the approach was cloudy and the opposite-direction runway 23 appeared better.
When the crew was given landing clearance they were cautioned that the runway surface was wet.
The first officer – who had 863h on type, compared with the captain’s 86h – was flying the aircraft.
He remarked that the autobrake system was not functioning and that manual braking would be used.
According to the cockpit-voice recorder evidence, the crew continued the approach after acquiring visual references.
The inquiry says the tailwind component at the threshold was 12kt.
When the E170 landed, with 20° flap set, it touched down with a groundspeed of 138kt and the captain called for “max reversal” about 3s later.
But the aircraft failed to stop in the 760m of runway remaining. The cockpit-voice recorder captured “flight crew vocalisations, followed by a loud noise and landing-gear aural warnings”, says the bureau.
The E170 overran and it came to a halt about 325m beyond the end of the runway, with its landing-gear having sheared off after striking two concrete structures of a decommissioned localiser.
Both engines contacted the ground, and it shed its right-hand engine cowl, while sustaining damage to the ailerons and flaps of both wings, the horizontal stabiliser, and lower forward fuselage. Several runway approach lights were also damaged.
None of the 63 passengers and five crew members was injured, and those on board evacuated via a rear exit.
Enugu Air had only been granted its own air operator’s certificate on 10 March this year, just over four months before the accident.
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