ASN Aircraft accident Airbus A340-642 EC-JOH Quito-Mariscal Sucre Airport (UIO)
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Status:Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Date:Friday 9 November 2007
Time:17:06
Type:Silhouette image of generic A346 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Airbus A340-642
Operator:Iberia
Registration: EC-JOH
MSN: 731
First flight: 2006
Total airframe hrs:8704
Cycles:965
Engines: 4 Rolls-Royce Trent 556A2-61
Crew:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 14
Passengers:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 345
Total:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 359
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Aircraft fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:Quito-Mariscal Sucre Airport (UIO) (   Ecuador)
Phase: Landing (LDG)
Nature:International Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport:Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD/LEMD), Spain
Destination airport:Quito-Mariscal Sucre Airport (UIO/SEQU), Ecuador
Flightnumber:IB6463
Narrative:
Iberia flight 6463, performed by an Airbus A340-600, was a regular service from Madrid, Spain to Quito and Guayaquil in Ecuador. The crew contacted Quito Approach at 16:50 and received descent instructions in preparation for an instrument approach no. 4 (VOR QIT DME/ILS) for runway 35. During the descent the crew were notified that preceding flights had reported braking action medium to poor. The flight crew selected auto braking to 'High'.
At 17:05, the crew reported the runway in sight, after which the controller stated that the wind was 170° with 04 knots, the runway was wet and reported braking action was poor. The flight was cleared to land.
The pilot in command, following the procedures established by Iberia, decided to leave the ILS glide path and captured the path of the PAPI lights. The aircraft touched down 200 m past the threshold at a 3.09g side load.
The spoilers deployed automatically and main gear tyres 3 and 8 blew. The flap lever was moved involuntarily by the copilot, from the full position to position 2.
The crew applied full manual braking and select reverse thrust. The Auto Brake function failed, after which the crew disconnected the antiskid braking system and continued to apply manual braking.
The aircraft passed the end of runway 35, with a ground speed of 90 knots, hit the ILS localizer and stopped 232 meters further. Passengers and crew were evacuated using the slide at door 2R, thirty minutes after the aircraft stopped.
The aircraft was recovered, but it was considered too difficult to repair the aircraft at Quito. It was broken up in May 2008.

Probable Cause:

PROBABLE CAUSE (translated from the original Spanish text):
The Board of Inquiry finds that the probable cause of this event was the decision of the crew to initiate and carry out the approach to the airport in Quito, with the known facts of the state of the runway, weather conditions and aircraft weight and not to abandon the approach, forcing the capture of the path of PAPI beyond the parameters of stabilization.
Issues determined to make a hard landing that damaged important parts of the aircraft that made it impossible to stop on the track.

CONTRIBUTING FACTORS:
The following events contributed to the occurrence :
- On the date of the incident, the crew did not have specific regulations and operating procedures (the briefing of the operator for the airport in Quito was inappropriate to the real conditions).
- The fact that the crew still being experienced similar airports in Quito and had not experienced similar weather situations, circumstances that would have allowed a strategy of approximation consistent with the terms of this operation, in particular as regards:
- Calculations in flight for landing runway length
- Minimum altitude to start the maneuver of changing the path of ILS to PAPI
- Carrying out a very detailed briefing that allowed unwanted deviations on approach.
- The weather conditions existing at the time of landing (visibility, tail wind and moderate rain).

Accident investigation:

cover
Investigating agency: DGAC Ecuador
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 2 years
Accident number: 07 AIRBUS A-340-600 2
Download report: Final report

Classification:
Landing after unstabilized approach
Heavy landing
Runway excursion

Sources:
» El Comercio
» Iberia Press release 10-11-2007


Photos

photo of Airbus-A340-642-EC-JOH
accident date: 09-11-2007
type: Airbus A340-642
registration: EC-JOH
 

Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Madrid-Barajas Airport to Quito-Mariscal Sucre Airport as the crow flies is 8689 km (5431 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.

This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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Airbus A340

  • 377+ built
  • 4th loss
» safety profile

 Ecuador
  • 47th worst accident (at the time)
  • 50th worst accident (currently)
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