Description

On 27 March 2002, a Fokker F28 being operated by Air Canada Regional Airlines (t/a Air Canada Jazz) on a scheduled night passenger flight from Toronto to Saint John, having made an uneventful procedural ILS approach to Runway 05 at destination, departed the slippery landing runway to the left shortly after touchdown in normal visibility conditions but regained it before coming to a stop. Aircraft damage was limited to minor cuts in the tyres of the right main and nose landing gear and damage to one runway edge light. There were no injuries to any of the occupants.

Investigation

An Investigation was carried out by the Canadian Transportation Safety Board. It was established that after the nose gear had touched down, the aircraft had started to drift uncontrollably to the left and the left main wheels had departed the side of the runway for a distance of approximately 275 metres before regaining the paved surface. The left main gear track was found to have been just under five metres from the runway edge at its furthest point. It was noted Runway 05, the incident runway, was asphalt surfaced, 2130 metres long and 60 metres wide. Air traffic communications between the ‘certified uncontrolled’ airport at Saint John and the aircraft had been in the hands of the airport ‘Flight Service Station’ (FSS) personnel.

The weather conditions being reported shortly before the aircraft landed were a wind velocity of 140° / 9 knots in light snow with visibility of 1400 metres and a temperature of MS02. The effect of a near zero surface temperature on the minimal snow covering was to be conducive to the incidence of slush on the runway rather than dry snow grains.