MF8667 runway excursion MNL 16 August 2018

[Melburnian1]

Upon landing at 2356 hours on Thursday 16 August 2018, B-5498 (B738) operating MF8667 from XMN to MNL veered off the runway at MNL with its left engine separating.

All 157 passengers safely evacuated but amusingly a spokesman for the local Civil Aviation Authority added that they were 'all drenched' as it was raining heavily. That's the usual Filipino sense of humour for you.

Apparently runway 06/24 (the one used by most international flights) was to be closed until 1200 (noon) o 17 August but it was shut until at least 1600. 'Philippine Daily Inquirer' has a comprehensive report online.

Here is what Aviation Herald has said:

Accident: Xiamen B738 at Manila on Aug 16th 2018, runway excursion on landing

By Simon Hradecky, created Thursday, Aug 16th 2018 20:25Z, last updated Friday, Aug 17th 2018 07:54Z
A Xiamen Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration B-5498 performing flight MF-8667 from Xiamen (China) to Manila (Philippines) with 157 passengers and 8 crew, had gone around from low height on first final approach to Manila's runway 24 due to weather, positioned for another approach and continued for a landing on runway 24 at 23:55L (15:55Z), but went off the left edge of the runway and came to a stop on soft ground with the left main gear collapsed and the left engine separated from the wing. The aircraft was evacuated via slides. No injuries are being reported, the aircraft however received substantial damage.

Manila Airport reported flight MF-8667 went off the runway at about 23:55L during a heavy downpour. All occupants of the aircraft are safe. Investigators from the CAA Philipinnes are already on site.

On Aug 17th 2018 China's CAAC reported MF8667 (B738/B5498) went left off the runway in Manila. 157 passengers and 8 crew remained uninjured. At the time of landing there was a strong thunderstorm, visibility 2000 meters, winds from 280 degrees at 11 knots, cloud ceiling 540 meters. The CAAC have dispatched a team of investigators to Manila to assist the Philippine Accident Investigation. The CAA as well as the China East Aviation Authority formed a joint working group to review Xiamen Airlines. The industry has been reminded to take resolute measures to observe safety margins.

Related NOTAM:
B3806/18 NOTAMN
Q) RPHI/QMRLC/IV/NBO/A /000/999/1431N12101E005
A) RPLL B) 1808161945 C) 1808170400
E) RWY06/24 CLSD DUE DISABLED ACFT.

 

[Forg]

Lucky nobody allowed to partake in this forum would fly on that airline!

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Lucky nobody allowed to partake in this forum would fly on that airline!

With 164 aircraft currently in their fleet, this is only the second accident in 34 years. The first - in 1990 - was due to a hijacking. This current incident wouldn't put them on my no fly list.

 

[Melburnian1]

With 164 aircraft currently in their fleet, this is only the second accident in 34 years. The first - in 1990 - was due to a hijacking. This current incident wouldn't put them on my no fly list.

I've not flown on it but doesn't MF overall have a good reputation similar to Hainan Airlines?

We did have an absolute expert who had flown almost all of the mainland Chinese expert rank them from best to perceived worst a while back, but I have forgotten the contributor's username.

The Manila NAIA main runway 06/24 had its closure extended to 13200 'high noon' today (amking 36 hours) so flights there are routinely three hours late, and various PR flights from Australia ended up in DVO (one ex MEL still there) and CRK (did the short hiop to MNL last night with a further delay of three hours, good in the circumstances).

Notwithstanding today's icy MEL weather, we just don't routinely have the climatic challenges that the tropics and the snowy regions have.

 

[serfty]

More report from FT: Xiamen Airlines MF8667 crashes in MNL - FlyerTalk Forums

Qantas cancelled QF19/QF20 I believe.

CX suspended operations: MNL Flights Cancelled - Until Further Notice - FlyerTalk Forums

Avherald: Accident: Xiamen B738 at Manila on Aug 16th 2018, runway excursion on landing

 

[Melburnian1]

...Qantas cancelled QF19/QF20 I believe...

serfty, I endeavoured to cover yesterday's 24 hour delay to QF19/20 (operating today as QF19D and Sunday morning presumably as QF20D) in the Qantas cancellations/delays thread. There are two QF A332 enroute to MNL as I wrote; yesterday's and today's.

 

[moa999]

Apparently nothing bigger than a 737/320 was allowed to land.

CX in particular with 7 widebody flights has a big backlog.

 

[Melburnian1]

MNL main runway 06/24 reopened at 1128 hours local time (1328 AEST) on Saturday 18 August.

The is a good video available on 'Philippine Daily Inquirer' newspaper website where a rep. from MF talks in Mandarin and basically says all were OK. The flight data recorder has been recovered. I assume that the plane will be repaired in MNL (a major job) and returned to servie, no scrapped.

Many of the flights coming in (at least for major operator PR) have a '5' in front of the flight number such as PR5210 thatb is PR 210 from MEL to MNL yesterday that spent the night in DVO (quite a pleasant city).

Amusingly as at 1640 AEST, another Xiamen Airlines flight (B738 B-1911 from JJN to MNL) is not far off landing.

 

[Melburnian1]

Chairman of Manila Airport Authority has said that removal of the MF B738 cost 'at least PHP15 million' (A$382,000).

Further costs are to be added. That's in an emerging economy.

If it happened here, we might be more efficient at quickly removing it, but in most locations we wouldn't have the heavy rainfall that these tropical nations have for so long. so bogging may be less of a problem in much of Oz. Our costs may be less (?) but they'd still be substantial.

A fair old bill for MF.

 

[jb747]

With 164 aircraft currently in their fleet, this is only the second accident in 34 years. The first - in 1990 - was due to a hijacking. This current incident wouldn't put them on my no fly list.

I've not flown on it but doesn't MF overall have a good reputation similar to Hainan Airlines?

The question will be why they were landing when they did, after already doing one go around. I have no doubt that the weather conditions took them off the side...but why do the approach in the first place?

Notwithstanding today's icy MEL weather, we just don't routinely have the climatic challenges that the tropics and the snowy regions have.

Different places tend to have different versions of nasty weather. Australia has its share of strong winds, and thunderstorms. Snow and ice tends to present more of a ground handling challenge than a flying one.

 

[Melburnian1]

The question will be why they were landing when they did, after already doing one go around. I have no doubt that the weather conditions took them off the side...but why do the approach in the first place?....

Weren't other aircraft successfully landing before the MF one? Sorry, I don't quite get your point.

 

[jb747]

Weren't other aircraft successfully landing before the MF one? Sorry, I don't quite get your point.

Just because someone else was successful, doesn't mean that you will be, and should never be used as a reason to fly an approach. If a thunderstorm is over the field, it's a really good time to be in the holding pattern.

 

[lowan74]

I've not flown on it but doesn't MF overall have a good reputation similar to Hainan Airlines?
circumstances).

I've flown them 4 times (2 x 787s, 2 x 737s) and while from a passenger perspective they were ok, they were nothing particularly special. The flights were good, but the connections through Xiamen were anything but convenient (in fact, could not be more confusing..)

 

[Melburnian1]

...The flights were good, but the connections through Xiamen were anything but convenient (in fact, could not be more confusing..)

lowan74, thanks. IIRC someone else on AFF or another website a while back commented that the airport at XMN lacks any (or many?) bilingual signs, hence making it a problem for ignorami like me who cannotv read (or speak) Mandarin.

 

[Melburnian1]

A blog I came across called 'Philippine Airspace' has some interesting photos and a diagram of the 'excursion.'

The left landing gear ended up 300 metres from the fuselage, which wasn't reported in any media I'd seen.

When they were doing the rescue the weather seems to have been rather crud.

Can't say I've got much confidence any final report will be very good, although at least it won't have what a few aviation experts have suggested were lies in various Malaysian MH370 reports.