An American Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-83 from Chicago hit trees and force-landed, in heavy rain and darkness, just short of the runway at Bradley International Airport, USA on 12 November. None of the five crew or 72 passengers was injured.
Bradley's tower had been damaged in the storm, but the aircraft had been given unofficial clearance to land, "at the pilot's discretion", says the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
The aircraft struck trees on a ridge on the approach, some 4.25km (2.25nm) from the threshold of runway 15. The NTSB says that the engines ingested tree debris, one engine lost power and the other did not develop sufficient thrust to enable a go-around, so the captain elected to land.
There was a general wind-shear warning in force, but the NTSB says that the aircraft's wind-shear warning system had not activated. During the approach, says the NTSB, the aircraft's flight path angle, speed and power settings were all appropriate, but it was low and the ground-proximity warning system had given a "sink-rate" alert just before impact with the trees.
At least eight people died when a Nigeria Airways Boeing 737-200A skidded off the runway during a landing run at Kaduna, Nigeria, on 13 November. The aircraft was inbound on a domestic flight from Jos, with 130 people on board. It landed at 07.00 local time in reduced visibility, but slewed off the runway - causing a wing to hit the ground.
Source: Flight International
