De-icing error cause Prestwick Airport plane skid
14.10.10
A report into an incident in which a Ryanair plane skidded off a runway after landing at Prestwick Airport has found that a failure in runway de-icing was likely to have been the cause. The plane had flown in from Dublin, with 135 people on board, and ended up on a grass verge on 23 December last year. No-one was injured in the incident and there was no significant damage to the aircraft.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch report said the airport had tried to de-ice the runway, but the machine had not been set to the correct level to get rid of the ice. It was automatically limited to an application of 20 grams per square metre - the rate appropriate for anti-icing. However, to remove ice already formed, a rate of 30-70 grams per square metre is needed.
The report also said the co-pilot did not pass on the exact detail of the ‘extremely icy’ conditions. He told his colleagues about the wind and braking action and added: ‘And it's icy obviously.’ After landing, the plane taxied towards the end of the runway but did not slow down when the brakes were applied. The plane came to a stop on the grass and the passengers and crew disembarked via steps to the rear, which was till on the runway.
The AAIB said the airport operator identified a number of areas in its winter operations where its procedures could be improved and made appropriate safety recommendations, with a particular focus on anti-icing and de-icing operations. And the airline included a training module on operations to or from slippery runways in its recurrent training programme. The AAIB said it was therefore not considered necessary to make any further safety recommendations.
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