McDonnell Douglas DC-9-83 (MD-83) – TC-AKM

Incident Overview

Date: Friday 30 November 2007

Aircraft Type: McDonnell Douglas DC-9-83 (MD-83)

Owner/operator: Atlasjet Airlines, lsf World Focus Airlines

Registration Number: TC-AKM

Location: 12 km WNW of Isparta Airport (ISE) – ÿ Trkiye

Phase of Flight: Approach

Status: Destroyed, written off

Casualties: Fatalities: 57 / Occupants: 57

Component Affected: Flight Management System (FMS) ? specifically, the arrival procedure programming.Flight Management System (FMS) ? specifically, the arrival procedure programming.

Category: Accident

A McDonnell Douglas MD-83, operated by Atlasjet Airlines, crashed near Isparta Airport, Turkey, resulting in the deaths of fifty passengers and seven crew members. The flight departed Istanbul-Atatrk Airport at 00:50, destined for Isparta, and was cleared for a VOR/DME approach to runway 05. The flight deviated significantly, veering off course and subsequently heading 253ø over rising terrain, failing to program the arrival procedure into the Flight Management System (FMS). The aircraft impacted the top of the Trbetepe hill, resulting in a catastrophic breakup, with the fuselage landing 500 feet lower than the wings. The EGPWS failed repeatedly, and the installation of the system was premature, with the system having been installed on another aircraft prior to the TC-AKM flight. The pilot’s simulator training duration was insufficient, and the first officer’s simulator time was not documented. These factors contributed to the accident.A McDonnell Douglas MD-83, operated by Atlasjet Airlines, crashed near Isparta Airport, Turkey, resulting in the deaths of fifty passengers and seven crew members. The flight departed Istanbul-Atatrk Airport at 00:50, destined for Isparta, and was cleared for a VOR/DME approach to runway 05. The flight deviated significantly, veering off course and subsequently heading 253ø over rising terrain, failing to program the arrival procedure into the Flight Management System (FMS). The aircraft impacted the top of the Trbetepe hill, resulting in a catastrophic breakup, with the fuselage landing 500 feet lower than the wings. The EGPWS failed repeatedly, and the installation of the system was premature, with the system having been installed on another aircraft prior to the TC-AKM flight. The pilot’s simulator training duration was insufficient, and the first officer’s simulator time was not documented. These factors contributed to the accident.

Description

A McDonnell Douglas MD-83, operating for Atlasjet Airlines as flight 4203, was destroyed after impacting high terrain near Isparta Airport, Turkey. All fifty passengers and seven crew members were killed. Flight 4203 departed Istanbul-Atatrk Airport at 00:50 hours on a domestic flight to Isparta. The flight was cleared for a VOR/DME approach to runway 05. After crossing the IPT VOR beacon at the airport, the flight was supposed to have a course of 223ø. At 12 DME, the aircraft then should have turned right onto runway heading. However, the flight crew failed to program the arrival procedure into the FMS. After crossing the IPT VOR, the aircraft headed 253ø and turned right over rising terrain. The EGPWS failed to sound as the aircraft flew towards the 1,830 metres (6,000 ft) tall Trbetepe hill. The airplane impacted the top of the hill and broke up. The plane’s wings and engines came to rest at the top of the hill while the fuselage was found 500 feet lower. The investigation revealed that the EGPWS had failed repeatedly (86 times on the past 235 flights) and that it had been installed on another aircraft before being installed on TC-AKM ten days before the accident. Additionally, it appeared that both flight crew members were inexperienced and lacked training. It was determined that the captain trained on the simulator for 20 hours instead of the mandatory 32 hours. The first officer attended simulator in Sofia for 32 hours, but these hours were not documented.