Accident Boeing 757-21K G-WJAN,

ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 324059

Date:	Thursday 1 January 1998
Time:	15:32
Type:	Boeing 757-21K
Owner/operator:	Airtours International
Registration:	G-WJAN
MSN:	28674/746
Year of manufacture:	1997
Total airframe hrs:	3854 hours
Cycles:	1241 flights
Engine model:	Rolls-Royce RB211-535E4
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 228
Aircraft damage:	Substantial, repaired
Category:	Accident
Location:	Puerto Plata-La Union International Airport (POP) - Dominican Republic
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi
Departure airport:	Bangor International Airport, ME (BGR/KBGR)
Destination airport:	Puerto Plata-La Union International Airport (POP/MDPP)
Investigating agency:	AAIB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
The aircraft struck the ground to the right of runway 26 whilst attempting to land from a low level, visual circuit. The crew had previously attempted two instrument approaches in poor weather neither of which had been successful. Following the ground contact the aircraft diverted to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where it landed without further incident.

The following causal factors were identified:
(i) A very late go-around, initiated at a speed 14 kt below the target threshold speed, resulted in the underside of the aircraft's tail striking the ground thereby causing considerable damage to the aircraft.;
(ii) After an unsuccessful second non-precision instrument approach the commander flew a visual circuit which ultimately required unusual and aggressive manoeuvring of the aircraft, but he was still unable to place the aircraft on the runway.;
(iii) The visual circling approach was not discontinued immediately after the commander's spectacles became displaced, which resulted in the aircraft not being stabilised on the runway centre line by 400 ft.;
(iv) Numerous deviations from the operator's Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) by the flight crew precluded the establishment of a stabilised approach, increased the commander's workload and made a successful landing less likely from either of the instrument approaches.;
(v) The first officer (FO) did not contribute sufficiently towards the overall management of the flight and failed to challenge any of the commander's flawed decisions as his Crew Resource Management (CRM) training and experience should have equipped him to do.

Accident investigation: