Incident Overview
Date: Sunday 17 February 2002
Aircraft Type: Canadair CL-44D4
Owner/operator: Skymaster Freight Services
Registration Number: 9Q-CTS
Location: near Mbuji-Mayi –
ÿ Congo (Democratic Republic)
Phase of Flight: En route
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 23
Component Affected: Aircraft – Specifically, the engine and flap systems.Aircraft – Specifically, the engine and flap systems.
Category: Accident
An uncontained engine fire resulted in a loss of altitude and control of an aircraft. The crew attempted to mitigate the situation by extending flaps to 45 degrees, but asymmetric flap conditions caused a rapid increase in descent to 1500 feet per minute, reaching 110 degrees at 98 knots. The captain initiated a hard landing in a jungle clearing.An uncontained engine fire resulted in a loss of altitude and control of an aircraft. The crew attempted to mitigate the situation by extending flaps to 45 degrees, but asymmetric flap conditions caused a rapid increase in descent to 1500 feet per minute, reaching 110 degrees at 98 knots. The captain initiated a hard landing in a jungle clearing.
Description
An uncontained engine fire erupted from engine no.1, following which the aircraft lost height. Both fire bottles were fired on the engine, but with no success. Struggling to control the aircraft with bank angles of around 85 degrees, the crew tried to extend the flaps to 45 degrees. The rate of descent reduced to 700 feet/min, but an asymmetric flap condition caused a increase in the rate of descent to 1500 feet/min with bank angles up to 110 degrees at a speed of 98 knots. The captain then pulled the power off and performed a hard landing in a jungle clearing.
Primary Cause
Asymmetric flap conditions caused a rapid increase in descent rate.Asymmetric flap conditions caused a rapid increase in descent rate.Share on:
