Narrative:Fairchild HC-BUF was carrying company staff and equipment to the provisional operations base at Ambato. The approach was flown at 100 knots (12 knots too fast). Touchdown was very late, with just 900 m of runway remaining. Ground fine pitch was selected, but this did not work; the aircraft overran the runway by 170 m and fell into a 90 m deep ravine.
It appeared that flight preparation had been poor (the co-pilot did not calculate the approach and landing speeds, and the captain did not know the exact landing weight). Furthermore, Aerogal had not prepared documentation required for the operations at Ambato and failed to train its personnel in the airport's characteristics and special features.
Classification:
Runway excursion
Sources:
» ICAO Adrep Summary 1/98 (#35)
» Tommy Maurer
Follow-up / safety actions
It was recommended that Aerogal should carry out training when starting operations at a new airport; that crews implement the emergency procedures in accordance with the ongoing training; and that maintenance, operations and dispatch be further assessed.
Photos
accident date:
28-10-1997type: Fairchild FH-227D
registration: 571
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 Quito-Mariscal Sucre Airport to Ambato-Chachoan Airport as the crow flies is 119 km (74 miles).
Accident location: Exact; deduced from official accident report.
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.