Woukd you consider it to be two things did not occur as planned. 1. delay in reverse thrust. 2. Landing 2000 feet down the runway?
punkalouver:
The delay in achieving reverse thrust was, in my estimation, the most critical factor that did not go according to plan. The NTSB update of Dec 15, 2005 stated that touchdown occurred with aproximately 4500' of runway remaining. While this is 2000' less than the total runway length, it is only 1300' less than the available landing distance due to to the 696' displaced threshold. This means that assuming that they touched down with 4500' remaining, they were about 1300' beyond the landing threshold. Considering the low ceiling and visibility conditions that were in effect at the time of the approach, it would have been prudent to stay on glideslope all the way to roundout. Even if the aircraft were flown on to the runway with no roundout at all, (That was no landing, that was an ARRIVAL!) it would impact with the runway abeam the G/S antenna. I think it's safe to say that the G/S intercepts the ground at a point somewhere beyond the landing threshold of 31C. Perhaps someone who has access to Jeppview from home could post the distance available beyond glideslope. This distance minus the NTSB's estimated 4500' remaining at touchdown would represent the distance beyond the glideslope at which the aircraft touched down. This may not necessarily be as excessivily long of a landing as it first appears. Rather, it is about what one would expect if the glideslope were followed to around 50', followed by partially arresting the decent to an acceptable rate prior to touchdown. Especially with an 8 kt tailwind component. Even though dispatch and the laptop tool aboard the aircraft agreed that this landing was within limits, it was just barely so and consequently, if anything went wrong....... Well, it seems it did, at least in the form of not getting T/R deployment until 18 secs after touchdown for whatever reason. Any distance beyond the G/S antenna that the touchdown occurred would also contribute. To what extent that is a factor, I do not know. The investigation continues.
Best regards,
Westhawk