Incident Overview

Date: Friday 28 January 1966
Aircraft Type: Convair CV-440-0
Owner/operator: Lufthansa
Registration Number: D-ACAT
Location: 0,5 km SW of Bremen Airport (BRE) – ÿ Germany
Phase of Flight: Approach
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 46 / Occupants: 46
Component Affected: Flight Controls (specifically, pilot’s control inputs)Flight Controls (specifically, pilot’s control inputs)
Category: Accident
On approach to runway 27 at Bremen Airport, Germany, an aircraft overshot the runway. The aircraft stalled with a pitch of approximately 30-60 degrees and crashed left wing first. The stall was induced by incorrect control activation, possibly due to a malfunction of a flight director instrument. The pilot’s assessment of the height above the ground after transition to visual flight was likely flawed, leading to a loss of control. Subsequent stalling resulted from a poor stall performance, instrument flight conditions, and insufficient transition height.On approach to runway 27 at Bremen Airport, Germany, an aircraft overshot the runway. The aircraft stalled with a pitch of approximately 30-60 degrees and crashed left wing first. The stall was induced by incorrect control activation, possibly due to a malfunction of a flight director instrument. The pilot’s assessment of the height above the ground after transition to visual flight was likely flawed, leading to a loss of control. Subsequent stalling resulted from a poor stall performance, instrument flight conditions, and insufficient transition height.

Description

The approach to runway 27 at Bremen Airport, Germany was abandoned and the aircraft overshot. When making a turn at low altitude, the aircraft stalled with a pitch of about 30-60ø and crashed left wing first. The stall was probably induced by wrong activation of the controls. Such activation was possibly caused by a sudden occurrence of physical disorder of one of the pilots. PROBABLE CAUSE: “The overshoot on approach to land was probably caused by the fact that – possibly on account of a malfunction of one of the flight director instruments -the pilot was not in a position to remain on the glide path and that he made a wrong assessment of the height above the ground after transition to visual flight. The stall was probably induced by wrong activation of controls. Such activation was possibly caused by sudden occurrence of a physical disorder of one of the pilots. After the aircraft had stalled, the pilot could not control the further progress of the flight on account of the rather poor stall performance of the aircraft type, the extraordinary difficulties to control a stall during instrument flight conditions, and the insufficient height available for transition from a stall to a normal attitude after the aircraft had sheared off. Other factors may have contributed to the accident.”

Source of Information

https://www.filmothek.bundesarchiv.de/video/584687https://www.filmothek.bundesarchiv.de/video/584687

Primary Cause

Incorrect control activation, potentially due to a malfunctioning flight director instrument, resulting in a loss of glide path and subsequent stall.Incorrect control activation, potentially due to a malfunctioning flight director instrument, resulting in a loss of glide path and subsequent stall.

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