Incident Overview

Date: Sunday 7 October 1979
Aircraft Type: McDonnell Douglas DC-8-62
Owner/operator: Swissair
Registration Number: HB-IDE
Location: Athens-Ellinikon International Airport (ATH) – ÿ Greece
Phase of Flight: Landing
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 14 / Occupants: 154
Component Affected: Aircraft Control Systems (Specifically, braking systems, wheel brakes, and reverse thrust).Aircraft Control Systems (Specifically, braking systems, wheel brakes, and reverse thrust).
Category: Accident
Swissair Flight 316, a DC-8-62 aircraft, experienced a catastrophic landing at Athens Airport, Greece, resulting in the deaths of 14 occupants and the survival of 140. The aircraft overran the runway, causing significant damage, including a fire on the right side of the aircraft, and ultimately leading to a road collision. The incident highlights potential issues with the crew’s approach and braking procedures, particularly concerning a late touchdown and insufficient braking application.Swissair Flight 316, a DC-8-62 aircraft, experienced a catastrophic landing at Athens Airport, Greece, resulting in the deaths of 14 occupants and the survival of 140. The aircraft overran the runway, causing significant damage, including a fire on the right side of the aircraft, and ultimately leading to a road collision. The incident highlights potential issues with the crew’s approach and braking procedures, particularly concerning a late touchdown and insufficient braking application.

Description

Swissair flight 316, a DC-8-62, overran the runway on landing at Athens Airport, Greece, killing 14 occupants; 140 survived the accident. Swissair flight SR316 originated at GenŠve-Cointrin Airport (GVA), Switzerland and was bound for Bombay, India Beijing, China. Athens was the first intermediate stop. During an ILS approach to runway 33R at Athens Airport, the crew got visual contact with the airport and was cleared to land on runway 15L. The approach was made at a speed of 146 knots and the aircraft touched down about 740 m beyond the displaced threshold and about 2240 m before the runway end. The DC-8 decelerated but overran the end of the runway. The left wing and tail separated before the aircraft came to rest on a public road some 80 m beyond the end of the runway and 4 m below airport elevation. A fire broke out on the right side and spread quickly. All 14 victims died due to smoke or fire and were all seated at rows 21-26. PROBABLE CAUSE: “(1) The crew touched down the aircraft too late, at a speed higher than normal after a non-stabilized final approach. (2) The crew did not fully apply the braking systems (wheel brakes and reverse thrust) particularly the wheel brakes after a touchdown under known adverse conditions, so that it was not possible to stop the aircraft at least before the end of the overrun area.” Note: the member of the Operations team of the Accident Investigation Committee had a different opinion from the rest of the Committee regarding the cause of the accident. That is: “After a non-stabilized approach a too-late touchdown at an increased speed was not realized by the crew. Contributing was the fact that (1) the company’s recommended technique concerning ‘landing when braking action is less then good’ was not followed by the crew. (2) Wheel brake application was not fully utilized by the crew at the proper stage of rolling after touchdown. (3) Reverse thrust application was not fully utilized by the crew at the proper stage of rolling after touchdown. “

Primary Cause

The crew’s approach was deemed to be too late, exceeding the normal landing speed after a non-stabilized final approach. This was compounded by insufficient braking application, specifically the failure to fully utilize wheel brakes and reverse thrust during the touchdown, leading to the aircraft overrunning the runway.The crew’s approach was deemed to be too late, exceeding the normal landing speed after a non-stabilized final approach. This was compounded by insufficient braking application, specifically the failure to fully utilize wheel brakes and reverse thrust during the touchdown, leading to the aircraft overrunning the runway.

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