Ethiopian B738 overrun at Entebbe 2019_01_03

[Raffles S.A.]

B738 overran 12,000 ft runway with calm wind?

Aviation-Safety (https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=220473)

[BluSdUp]

What I would give to hear the Cpt explain this one! 3600 meters!
Any Notams of displaced threshold
Massive tail wind?
WX anyone?

[Doors to Automatic]

B737-800 ground run once on the ground approx. 1000-1200m Runway length 3600m. Impressive to say the least!

[Hotel Tango]

WX anyone?

Check the link.

As for the reason: do we know any facts yet (other than it ran off)? I'd say no, we don't.

[safetypee]

How about a lateral excursion. The reports only state ‘off the runway be a few meters’, not off the end of the runway.

[sonicbum]

What I would give to hear the Cpt explain this one! 3600 meters!
Any Notams of displaced threshold
Massive tail wind?
WX anyone?

So first You say that You'd love to hear how the guy cocked up but then You ask for any kind of basic data regarding the event. That does not seem to be very professional, does it ? I would love to read another thread (as the majority are over here) where people try to find and discuss the root causes of an event, spread the word and enhance flight safety.

[sonicbum]

Check the link.

As for the reason: do we know any facts yet (other than it ran off)? I'd say no, we don't.

Totally agree, as far as we currently know there could be hundreds or not a single valid reason for this event.

[3Greens]

So first You say that You'd love to hear how the guy cocked up but then You ask for any kind of basic data regarding the event. That does not seem to be very professional, does it ? I would love to read another thread (as the majority are over here) where people try to find and discuss the root causes of an event, spread the word and enhance flight safety.

what does PPRuNE stand for again?;-)

[sonicbum]

what does PPRuNE stand for again?;-)

Professional Pilots Rumour network I believe.

[txl]

Local authorities say aircraft "overshot" and was "removed from the runway end" later.

http://twitter.com/UgandaCAA/status/1080737440153907200

https://twitter.com/UgandaCAA/status/1080754836499587072

[Raffles S.A.]

From ASN:
Weather reported about the incident time (2141Z, 2 Jan):
HUEN 022200Z 36002KT 9999 FEW019 FEW021CB 20/18 Q1017
HUEN 022130Z 00000KT 9999 FEW019 FEW021CB 20/18 Q1016

[BluSdUp]

So, no one got hurt and we have to wait for the report!
Or do what we do here, give it a wild guess!
Now how many hundred reasons can you think of to put a 737 in the mud on a CAVOK calm day on a 3600 meters runway?
I can think of two!

[Airbubba]

A picture from social media:

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1080x810/dv9_iwzx0ayjgdf_ca0024ffd2e88e36dac7d99d3ca46e00a9a971a2.jpg

[Sobelena]

Now how many hundred reasons can you think of to put a 737 in the mud on a CAVOK calm day on a 3600 meters runway?
I can think of two!

Well, go on then, enlighten us!

[Centaurus]

A picture from social media:

From the photo one may conclude they did their after landing checks properly (Flaps up). Or: they retracted the flaps during the roll-out to get more weight on the wheels for better braking.?.. Or they landed all flaps up in the first place and used the full length of the runway to keep the brakes cool. Think of any other implausible reasons for flaps and LED retracted in the photo?.

[Airbubba]

Here's an initial report on the preliminary cause of the mishap from local media with the customary fake news picture of the plane:

Initial Findings Point to Air Pocket as Cause of
Entebbe Airport Incident – Govt

Government has said that preliminary findings regarding Thursday’s incident at Entebbe
International Airport where an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737-800 overshot the runway,
indicate that it was due to an airpocket.

The Ethiopian Airlines Flight No. ET 338, a Boeing 737-800 overshot the runway at
Entebbe airport on landing at 12.41am causing delays in inbound aircrafts.

The affected inbound international flights included Turkish Airlines, Kenya Airways,
Egypt Air and Rwanda Air, which all had incoming morning flights.

However, aircrafts of other air operators, which were on the ground before the incident
were able to depart.

The Minister for Works and Transport, Monica Azuba Ntege while addressing the press
at the airport on Thursday afternoon said that preliminary findings point to an air
pocket as the cause of the overshooting.

“I want to emphasize here, I have seen reports in the media that the plane crash landed.
What happened was overshooting,” the Minister said.

“Initial reports say that according to the pilot, as they were landing, they met what to me
I would refer to as an air pocket. They missed the touchline and landed a little bit off,”
she told journalists.

She said that the pilot of the aircraft was in touch with the airport staff.
In aviation, the colloquial term ‘air pocket’ refers to a jolt of turbulence. It also refers to
strong updraft, downdraft, or sudden fall in headwind or tailwind encountered by an aircraft
in flight.

The Minister revealed that she was set to institute a team, as required by international
aviation standards, to carry out a comprehensive investigation into the cause of Thursday’s
incident.

In line with international practice, Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) issued a Notice to Airmen
(NOTAM) temporarily stopping incoming flights from outside the country until after
the aircraft had been safely removed from the runway end.

The Minister said the NOTAM was issued at 6:40am after the personnel involved in
efforts to tow the aircraft realized they could no longer clear the runway in the anticipated
time.

“When it came to 6:40am, they realized they have to inform all the other aircrafts to let
them know that the runway safety was compromised. That is really the reason for the
NOTAM,” she said.

She lauded the stakeholders and staffers for a job well done to ensure the operations
resume in the shortest time possible.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1469x978/et_b_738_b4984c3dab552f2f5ad4d5d4d5e7619f9fa9286f.jpg

https://www.softpower.ug/initial-findings-point-to-air-pocket-as-cause-of-entebbe-airport-incident-govt/

[BluSdUp]

Ahh
The Old airpocket, that explains it!
Told you I would wait for the report!

[RoyHudd]

That is a 787. Says a lot for the "authorities"

[NWA SLF]

Morphing from a 737 into a 787 would explain longer landing distance. And looking at both pictures posted so far its a 737 from the left side and 787 from the right. Tough for pilots to handle a plane in that configuration.

[DaveReidUK]

That is a 787. Says a lot for the "authorities"

Well no, it says a lot for the Ugandan media. :O

[rog747]

The 737 has a tug attached to it so the a/c has been cleaned up for the tow?

The incident a/c is 738 ET-ATV (not a 789) flight ET338 - no damage reported to the 737 by ET and the a/c was towed to the ramp

[sonicbum]

So, no one got hurt and we have to wait for the report!
Or do what we do here, give it a wild guess!
Now how many hundred reasons can you think of to put a 737 in the mud on a CAVOK calm day on a 3600 meters runway?
I can think of two!

The outcome of the event is a runway excursion. Now what we are all interested in, I believe, is to know all of the contributing factors. We obviously could end up finding out several crew factors, but so far we can't have any clue. We don't even know if the pictures posted by the local media are 100% real or not and I believe it will be also quite difficult to obtain some tangible facts in a short time period. Anyway my previous post was not meant to create any animosity, just to emphasise that it is quite easy just to throw the blame on somebody when everything else around appears to be crystal clear.

[BluSdUp]

I am with You!
As an active 737-800 commander I have to say I am slightly concerned about this aicrafts tendency to end up with more or less dramatic off runway excursions.
The thing is , she is fast on approach, say with a standard F30 landing Vref in the 140s and addition of up to Vref +15 AND a max tail wind of 15 we are often looking at well into 160kts GS over the fence.
If for any reason this is the case and I flare to much, she is more then happy to sit in ground effect and eat runway at a dramatic rate!
I just had a good FO demonstrate this to me on a 3200m runway the other day and I forget, but he did at least use 1000m in the flare.
A good laugh and some mumbling and we quickly debriefed . Lesson learned, class dismissed!
Every day Murphy boards, and every day we tell him to go back to his seat.
Happy Landing
Specially all You 738 chapps and chappesses!
Gone Fishing
Cpt B

[Nil further]

So you used 1000m in the flare and didn’t go around ?
Holy FCUK !

which airline are you claiming you work for ?

[73qanda]

You can’t judge a go-around decision from a comment on the internet NilFurther.
There are 100 scenarios where landing after a 1000m flare might be safer than going around.
There are 100 scenarios where it would be better to go around.

[4runner]

Not to toot my own horn, but I’ve landed a -500 there, no auto brakes, idle reverse and had to add power to get to the end. 36 slopes uphill though...