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Nigerian investigators have been unable to entry data from both flight recorder of a Kabo Air Boeing 747-200 which touched down 100m in need of the runway throughout a non-precision night time touchdown at Sokoto.
The plane (5N-JRM) had been working a Hajj constitution flight from Kano to Jeddah on four October 2013, however was re-routed to Sokoto to select up extra passengers.
It already had 512 occupants, together with 18 crew members, when it was cleared for an ILS strategy to Sokoto’s runway 08.
However after the pilots reported the sphere in sight, they requested a straight-in visible strategy to the opposite-direction runway 26 – although this runway had no ILS, its strategy lights have been low-intensity and the visual-approach slope indicator system was unserviceable.
“The captain stated that the decision to land straight-in [on runway 26] was to save fuel,” says the Nigerian Accident Investigation Bureau.
Investigators have been unable to entry essential flight and crew useful resource administration data as a result of the flight-data recorder’s magnetic tape was damaged, whereas the cockpit-voice recorder knowledge was discovered to be overwritten.
“Relevant data expected from both recorders were unavailable,” the inquiry says.
But it surely believes the 747 descended in the direction of the runway in darkness initially on a 2.5° glideslope, with the captain intending to the touch down at an “appropriate point” on the 6,400ft runway, given the plane was near most touchdown weight.
The captain advised the inquiry that he had noticed an absence of landing zone lighting. In response to the flight engineer, the strategy was regular till a radio-altimeter call-out at 10ft, after which there was a “thudding sound and slight vibration”.
Examination of the plane after it parked confirmed two burst right-hand fundamental landing-gear tyres. Investigators decided that the plane had struck the localiser antenna and strategy lighting system, landed 100m in need of the brink, and continued rolling till it reached the runway.
None of these on board was injured.
Though visible situations prevailed, investigators level out that approaches to runways in darkness can result in illusory phenomena, together with ‘black hole’ approaches which may trigger runways to look out of place.
“Pilots need to rely less on outside references at night and more on flight and navigational instruments,” the inquiry says.
“Any time position in relation to the runway or altitude is in doubt, execute a go-around.”
The inquiry attributes the occasion to an “inappropriate” visible strategy profile at night time with no vertical steerage, following the choice to conduct the non-precision strategy to runway 26.
Three days after the incident, the Nigerian Airspace Administration Company issued a NOTAM prohibiting using runway 26 at night time when the strategy lighting system of the runway grew to become unserviceable.
