TAG SF34 at Tegucigalpa on Sep 16th 2016, rejected takeoff due to vibration and config warning results in runway excursion

Last Update: August 22, 2017 / 15:27:35 GMT/Zulu time

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Incident Facts

Date of incident
Sep 16, 2016

Classification
Incident

Cause
Rejected takeoff

Airline
TAG Transportes Aereos Guatemaltecos

Flight number
CC-3040

Departure
Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Destination
La Ceiba, Honduras

Aircraft Registration
TG-BJO

Aircraft Type
SAAB 340

ICAO Type Designator
SF34

A TAG Transportes Aereos Guatemaltecos Saab 340A on behalf of CM Airlines, registration TG-BJO performing flight CC-3040 from Tegucigalpa to La Ceiba (Honduras) with 19 people on board, was accelerating for takeoff from Tegucigalpa's runway 02 when the crew felt vibrations and received a configuration warning. The aircraft veered to the right, the crew rejected takeoff at high speed and the aircraft came to a stop with all gear on soft ground off the right hand edge of the runway near the end of the runway about 1700 meters down the runway. The aircraft was evacuated. There were no injuries.

Honduras' Agencia Hondurena De Aeronautica Civil (AHAC) have opened an investigation into the incident.

Passengers reported the right hand engine caught fire.

On Aug 22nd 2017 Honduras' AHAC released their final report in Spanish concluding the probable cause of the serious incident was:

the vibrations and the configuration warning that the crew felt and saw was caused by the burst of tyre #1 of the left main gear, that was observed worn, and the brake which was found outside limits and in a condition not acceptable for use (flush) as required by the aircraft maintenance manual [cause].

The configuration warning was caused by the vibration of the aircraft before V1 [cause].

The maneouver by the crew to turn the aircraft by 180 degrees caused the aircraft to depart the runway [contributing factor].

The AHAS reported that the crew had determined V1 at 122 KIAS, Vr at 127 KIAS and V2 at 128 KIAS. The captain (43, ATPL, no hours provided) was pilot monitoring, the first officer (39, CPL, 5,523 hours total, no hours on type provided) was pilot flying. The aircraft was cleared for takeoff from runway 02. While accelerating through 110 KIAS the crew felt a vibration of the airframe and received a CONFIG warning. The captain assumed control of the aircraft and rejected takeoff using brakes and maximum reverse, however, sensing very poor deceleration insufficient to stop the aircraft before the end of the runway decided to attempt to turn the aircraft around by 180 degrees (ground loop the aircraft), the aircraft went off the right side of the runway as result. After the aircraft came to a stop the engines were shut down. There were no injuries.

The aircraft sustained damage to the left main tyres (with #1 burst) and damage to the right hand propeller.