Canadian investigators have revealed that runway surface condition information at Prince Rupert airport had not been updated before a BAE Systems Avro RJ100 overran during landing.
The Summit Air aircraft, arriving from Nanaimo on 7 February, touched down on runway 31 after a satellite-based approach.
But while the spoilers deployed automatically, the crew did not sense any deceleration after applying brakes. The braking remained ineffective even after the pilots switched to a second independent hydraulic system.
The crew activated the emergency brake and even started shutting down the two outboard engines in a bid to slow the jet.
As the RJ100 neared the end of the 6,000ft runway the captain attempted to steer with the nose-wheel, causing the aircraft to slide sideways, strike two runway lights, and overrun by 30m.
Transportation Safety Board of Canada found that the most recent runway information had been recorded the previous day, on the afternoon of 6 February, and stated that the surface was 100% wet. But the airport subsequently experienced a period of freezing rain in the evening while staff were not on site.
This freezing precipitation, which was not forecast, had not featured in an automatic meteorological report issued on the morning of 7 February, some 50min before the RJ100’s arrival. The aircraft landed outside of normal operating hours, before the runway’s condition could be assessed.
The inquiry says Summit Air had not arranged for a runway condition update. About 1h after the overrun, an assessment showed friction coefficients of 0.19-0.23 over the entire runway length, particularly low for braking.
“Runway conditions can change rapidly, and the most recent [surface] report may not be an accurate representation of the current condition of the runway, especially outside of normal airport operating hours,” the inquiry says.
None of the 34 passengers and four crew members was injured, and the aircraft (C-FRJY) sustained only minor damage.
Summit Air implemented safety measures in the weeks after the occurrence, two of which specifically dealt with co-ordination between captains and dispatchers when runway condition is a potential concern and runway reports are unavailable.
