By Skies Magazine | November 8, 2018 Estimated reading time 2 minutes, 51 seconds.
Canada’s Transportation Safety Board (TSB) continues to investigate after Boeing 747-400F aircraft skidded off a runway at Halifax Stanfield International Airport on Nov. 7, 2018.
Investigators have conducted an initial examination of the accident site and a thorough investigation of the runway, but there are few details about what may have caused the runway overrun.
It was raining at the time of the incident, and there was a strong westerly wind gusting at 18 knots (roughly 33 miles per hour), the TSB confirmed on Nov. 8.
The aircraft was badly damaged and came to rest about 210 metres off the end of Runway 14, said the TSB.
It struck a localizer antenna during the runway overrun, and its landing gear collapsed. Two engines separated from the aircraft during the incident and the remaining engines were substantially damaged.
A small post-impact fire originated from the detached No. 2 engine, which was lodged under the tail of the aircraft, said the TSB.
There were no passengers and no cargo aboard the aircraft at the time of the incident, but four crewmembers were treated for minor injuries.
The aircraft was operated by Miami-based SkyLease Cargo, and was inbound from Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
A flight data recorder, cockpit voice recorder and other systems aboard the aircraft that contain flight data are being recovered, said the TSB. These will be sent to the TSB’s engineering laboratory in Ottawa for analysis.
Investigators plan to conduct interviews with witnesses, air traffic control, safety personnel and others may provide information useful to the investigation, said the TSB.
They will also review audio and radar data from Nav Canada, analyze information about weather and runway surface conditions and examine terrain at the end of the runway to determine what role it played in aircraft damage, among other measures.
“It is important not to speculate or draw conclusions about the causes of occurrences,” said the TSB in a statement. “Several factors usually contribute to an accident.”
