​​"Shall we play dump and make an approach?"

Accident

On August 31, 2018, a Boeing 737-800 of UTair airlines was operating a flight from Moscow (Vnukovo) to Adler (Sochi). The aircraft approached Sochi during the night amidst severe weather conditions: thunderstorms, heavy rain, and gusty winds. Some aircraft were unable to land and had to go around. Boeing initiated its landing approach and descended to 700 meters. However, upon receiving updated weather and visibility information at the airport, pilots decided to wait for more favorable conditions and entered a holding pattern.

While in the holding pattern, the crew received further updates on the weather, which remained unsuitable for landing.

After this, the following conversation took place in the cockpit:

Captain: "Shall we play dump and make an approach?"
First Officer: "(so that) we don't have to go around"

After this, the first officer began preparing the aircraft systems for landing. During the approach, when the Boeing was at an altitude of about 260 meters, the "Go around. Wind shear ahead" alarm sounded.

Wind shear is a dangerous weather phenomenon that makes landing very risky. At an altitude of approximately 50 meters, the system signaled an encounter with wind shear. Both times, the crew did not respond to these signals. Only at around 15 meters altitude did the captain initiate a go-around, as the pilots were unable to see the runway due to the rain.

According to the investigation, the decision to go around became stressful for the crew, and they were in a "suboptimal working state." This was evidenced by the difficulties the pilots encountered in engaging the autopilot. Additionally, after its re-engagement, the crew repeatedly changed its modes. Furthermore, the first officer forgot to retract the flaps, although he informed the captain that he had done so.

During the climb, the crew expressed their opinion about the meteorological conditions at the airport:

First Officer: "So, damn, trying to land in such crap in Sochi, damn, forget it, damn it?"
Captain: "Fuck it."
First Officer: "Yeah."
Captain: "Absolutely nothing could be seen there."
First Officer: "Yeah."
Captain: "Absolutely, damn it, nothing."

However, despite this dialogue, the crew decided to attempt another landing. As they approached the runway again, the "Go around. Wind shear ahead" alarm sounded once more. Approximately a minute later, the wind shifted, turning from headwind to tailwind. At that moment, the captain switched to manual control and disengaged the autothrottle before it could reduce engine power due to the changed conditions. As a result, the aircraft's speed began to increase, and the rate of descent decreased. Consequently, the Boeing landed 1285 meters beyond the runway threshold, overshooting by 385 meters.

After touchdown, the first officer reported the activation of reverse thrust, although it was actually engaged only 16 seconds later. The crew applied maximum manual braking. Nevertheless, 26 seconds after landing, the aircraft, at a speed of 140 km/h, rolled off the runway, broke through the airport fence, and stopped in the bed of the Mzymta River. Subsequently, a fuel fire occurred, leaking from the damaged left wing fuel tank. The crew conducted passenger evacuation. The fire was soon extinguished by arriving services. Eighteen people were injured onboard as a result of the incident. Additionally, during passenger rescue, an airport employee died of a heart attack. The aircraft sustained serious damage.