Date:	Sunday 12 September 1993
Time:	21:05
Type:	Boeing 747-428
Owner/operator:	Air France
Registration:	F-GITA
MSN:	24969/836
Year of manufacture:	1991
Total airframe hrs:	9901 hours
Engine model:	General Electric CF6-80C2B1F
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 272
Aircraft damage:	Substantial, repaired
Category:	Accident
Location:	Papeete-Faaa Airport (PPT), Tahiti -   French Polynesia
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:	Los Angeles International Airport, CA (LAX/KLAX)
Destination airport:	Papeete-Faaa Airport (PPT/NTAA)
Investigating agency:	BEA
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
Boeing 747 F-GITA operated Air France flight 072, Paris-Los Angeles-Tahiti. Weather was good when the flight approached Tahiti at night. The aircraft positioned for a runway 22 VOR-DME approach. At 21:05 the aircraft touched down at a speed of 168 knots. Two seconds later no. 1 engine power increased to 107% N1.
Because of this the spoilers did not deploy and the automatic brake disarmed. Reverse thrust was used on all remaining engines. Because of difficulties due to thrust asymmetry, the no. 4 engine thrust reverser was cancelled. The aircraft overran the runway and ended up in a lagoon.

PROBABLE CAUSE:
The accident was due to an unstabilized approach and the application of high positive thrust by engine 1 on landing, as a result of a peculiarity in the automatic flight system that caused the aircraft to go into go-around mode at a point in the trajectory corresponding to the decision height.
This resulted in:
- the long touchdown with an excessive speed
- the deviation of the trajectory to the right and the lateral exit of the runway.
The lack of respect of the operational procedures concerning the checks and the announcements during the approach and the landing, as well as the lack of communication between the pilots were strong contributing factors to the accident. In particular, the deviations beyond the tolerances of several flight parameters should have led to a go-around.
The lack of information from the manufacturer to the operators and crews on this particularity of the automatic flight system is also a contributing factor to the accident.

Aviation Week & Space Technology 20.9.93(23)
Bureau Enquêtes-Accidents Rapport relatif à l'accident survenu le 13 septembre 1993 sur l’aéroport de Tahiti Faaa au Boeing 747-428B immatriculé F-GITA exploité par Air France (F-TA930913)
Flight International
Scramble 172

Date/time	Contributor	Updates