Investigation Summary
The flight arrived at Manila during a period of severe weather, including heavy rain and thunderstorms. After an initial aborted landing attempt at 30 feet radio altitude due to poor visibility, the crew entered a holding pattern before attempting a second approach to Runway 24. During the second attempt, the aircraft was stabilized until it passed the threshold, at which point it began to drift left. The First Officer called for a go-around twice, but the Captain, who was the pilot flying, disregarded these calls and continued the landing. The aircraft touched down 741 meters from the threshold on the left side of the runway. Throughout the landing sequence, the flight data recorder showed that the thrust reversers for both engines were not deployed, with no evidence of reverse thrust being selected. As the aircraft traveled through the soft ground, the landing gear struck several concrete electric junction boxes that were not compliant with aerodrome safety standards. These impacts caused the left main gear and left engine to shear off and the nose gear to collapse rearwards into the electronics bay, which disabled the aircraft's communication systems and passenger address system.
Final Conclusions
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) released its final report in August 2019, concluding that the primary cause was the Captain's decision to continue a landing from an un-stabilized approach with insufficient visual reference. The investigation highlighted a failure in Crew Resource Management (CRM), specifically the Captain's disregard for the First Officer's go-around calls. Contributory factors included the crew's failure to discuss threat management strategies for the inclement weather and wind shear, the crew's failure to account for NOTAM information regarding unserviceable runway lights, inadequate company policies regarding go-around procedures, and the presence of non-compliant concrete obstacles near the runway that exacerbated the airframe damage.
Video Analysis
Aftermath of B-5498 Boeing 737-800 — On August 16, 2018, Xiamen Airlines Flight 8667 crash-landed at Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport in the Philippines amidst heavy rain.
If playback is blocked, the owner has disabled embedding — use the link above.
Airframe & Maintenance
Crew Experience
Captain
Korean male, 50 years old. Pilot Flying.
First Officer
Chinese male, 28 years old. Pilot Monitoring.
Systems & Failure Modes
VHF-1 Radio / E-Buss
The nose gear collapsed rearwards, damaging the electronics bay and breaking the wires connecting the VHF-1 radio to the battery, causing a total loss of external communication.
Passenger Address (PA) System
The PA system failed due to structural damage in the E/E compartment, forcing the First Officer to manually exit the cockpit to announce the evacuation to the cabin.
Auto-brakes
Flight data showed auto-brakes engaged upon touchdown but subsequently disengaged for undetermined reasons during the excursion.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft was a Boeing 737-800 delivered in 2010 with registration B-5498.
- 02The Captain had 16,000 total flight hours, including 7,000 hours on the Boeing 737-800.
- 03The First Officer had 950 total flight hours, with 750 hours on type.
- 04The accident resulted in a total loss of the aircraft (hull loss).
- 05The left engine (No. 1) completely separated from the wing during the excursion.
- 06The closure of Manila's main runway affected over 200 flights and 250,000 passengers.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Go-Around Policy Revision
Xiamen Airlines strengthened its go-around policy to establish a 'no-fault' culture and mandated that the pilot flying must comply immediately if the pilot monitoring calls for a go-around.
Simulator Training Enhancement
The airline added specific simulator training for night operations on wet, contaminated runways and heavy rain to improve pilot decisiveness in critical flight phases.
Aerodrome Infrastructure Rehabilitation
The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) rehabilitated the Runway 06/24 strip, removing or modifying concrete electric junction boxes to comply with ICAO transition slope standards.
Weather-Based Operational Restrictions
Xiamen Airlines implemented new operational restrictions prohibiting take-offs and landings in heavy rain, and prohibiting night landings in moderate rain at airports where runway centerline lighting is unavailable or non-functional.