THE decisions of pilots flying an Aurigny passenger plane that ran off a runway have been criticised in an air accident investigation report.
The crew landed the aircraft at Bristol Airport in December 2006 in winds stronger than limits outlined in the operating manual. UK investigators also criticised the use of reverse thrust when the crew realised that the aircraft was leaving the runway.
The report by the UK Department of Transport’s Air Accident Investigation Branch said that the decision to land in crosswinds above the aircraft’s operational limit was a contributory factor to the incident in which the aircraft ran off the runway.
The report puts much of the blame for the incident on a temporary runway surface at Bristol Airport that was wet at the time. But the crew of the Aurigny plane landed in a 34-knot crosswind when the aircraft’s operating manual states that in wet conditions it should not do so in winds which are above 25 knots.
• Picture: The accident in December 2006
