![]() The aircraft involved in the accident, seen in August 2001 | |
Accident | |
---|---|
Date | 10 October 2001 |
Summary | Loss of control for undetermined reasons; possible lightning strike |
Site | Mediterranean Sea, 18.5 km from Columbretes Islands, Spain |
Aircraft | |
Aircraft type | Swearingen SA226-AT Merlin IVA |
Operator | Flightline Barcelona |
ICAO flight No. | FTL101 [1] : 1 |
Registration | EC-GDV |
Flight origin | Barcelona-El Prat Airport, Spain |
Destination | Oran-es Senia Airport, Algeria |
Occupants | 10 |
Passengers | 8 |
Crew | 2 |
Fatalities | 10 |
Survivors | 0 |
Flightline Flight 101 was an international flight from Barcelona El-Prat Airport in Barcelona, Spain to Ahmed Ben Bella Airport in Oran, Algeria. It crashed into the sea, probably due to a lightning strike leading to a loss of electricity.
EC-GDV was a Swearingen SA226-AT Merlin IVA Metroliner built in 1976. Prior to the accident it had accumulated 11,950 flight hours. It was powered by two TPE331-10UA engines. [2] It was not equipped with a cockpit voice recorder nor a flight data recorder, and was not required to. [1]
The captain and first officer, aged 33 and 43, respectively, were both Spanish nationals. Their total amount of flight experience is unknown. [1]
The aircraft took off from Barcelona-El Prat Airport at 10:18. It flew normally in the direction of Valencia before the last radio contact at 10:38 and disappeared from radar screens 4 minutes later, probably as a result of total electrical failure caused by a lightning strike. The loss of electricity rendered many systems inoperable, such as elevator trim, lighting and instruments, anti-ice and navigation. The aircraft then impacted the water at a steep pitch angle, as a result of either loss of control or spatial disorientation. [1] [3] [4]
Investigators noted two instances where an electrical failure occurred on board an SA-226/227 due to a lightning strike. On February 8, 1988, Nürnberger Flugdienst Flight 108 broke up in mid-air after the pilots became disoriented due to a loss of electrical power caused by a lightning strike. Later in November 1991, another aircraft suffered a lightning strike and a total electrical failure. However the crew managed to restore power and land safely.
Considering this and the loss of radar contact, investigators concluded that the cause of the accident could not be determined, but stated that a likely scenario was
a total loss of electric supply, caused by a lightning strike in the middle of the storm in which the aircraft was flying, without the crew being able to restore it. It is possible that the lightning strike produced other damage to the aircraft and/or led to or produced failures of its systems. This combination of circumstances, aggravated by the storm with heavy rainfall and turbulence and the associated lack of visibility, led to the aircraft's impact with the sea.
— Civil Aviation Accident and Incident Investigation Commission
An aviation accident is an event during aircraft operation that causes serious injury, death, or destruction. An aviation incident is any operating event that compromises safety but does not progress to an aviation accident. Preventing accidents and incidents is the main goal of aviation safety.
Aviation safety is the study and practice of managing risks in aviation. This includes preventing aviation accidents and incidents through research, educating air travel personnel, passengers and the general public, as well as the design of aircraft and aviation infrastructure. The aviation industry is subject to significant regulation and oversight.
Centennial Airport is a public use airport owned by the Arapahoe County Public Airport Authority in the Denver-Aurora metropolitan area, 15 nautical miles southeast of downtown Denver, Colorado, United States. Located in Dove Valley, a census designated place in Arapahoe County, the airport's runways extend into Douglas County.
The Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner is a 19-seat, pressurized, twin-turboprop airliner first produced by Swearingen Aircraft and later by Fairchild Aircraft at a plant in San Antonio, Texas.
Key Lime Air is a United States airline with corporate headquarters at Denver International Airport in Denver, Colorado, within the Denver metropolitan area. Established in 1997, Key Lime Air operates scheduled air service, various types of public and private charter, and United Parcel Service cargo feeder operations.
Britannia Airways Flight 226A was an international passenger flight from Cardiff, Wales to Girona, Spain, operated by charter airliner Britannia Airways. On 14 September 1999, the Boeing 757-204 aircraft suffered a crash landing and broke apart during a thunderstorm in Girona-Costa Brava Airport. Of the 236 passengers and nine crew on board, two were seriously injured and 41 sustained minor injuries. One of the passengers who had apparently sustained only minor injuries died five days later of unsuspected internal injuries. The aircraft involved in the crash, Boeing 757-204 registration G-BYAG, was damaged beyond economical repair and scrapped.
The Swearingen Merlin or the Fairchild Aerospace Merlin is a pressurized, twin turboprop business aircraft first produced by Swearingen Aircraft, and later by Fairchild at a plant in San Antonio, Texas.
In aeronautics, loss of control (LOC) is the unintended departure of an aircraft from controlled flight and is a significant factor in several aviation accidents worldwide. In 2015 it was the leading cause of general aviation accidents. Loss of control may be the result of mechanical failure, external disturbances, aircraft upset conditions, or inappropriate crew actions or responses.
AVAir Flight 3378, was a scheduled flight under the American Eagle branding from Raleigh–Durham International Airport to Richmond International Airport which crashed after takeoff from Raleigh-Durham International Airport late on the night of February 19, 1988. All 12 people on board were killed in the accident.
Aeronaves TSM is a Mexican cargo charter airline headquartered in Saltillo and based at Saltillo Airport.
Nürnberger Flugdienst Flight 108 was a scheduled regional flight which crashed near Essen, Germany, on 8 February 1988 with the loss of all 21 occupants. The flight was operated by Swearingen SA.227BC Metroliner III D-CABB for Nürnberger Flugdienst, from Hannover Airport to Düsseldorf Airport. It is the deadliest aviation accident involving the Swearingen Fairchild Metroliner.
Air Wisconsin Flight 965 was a flight operated by Air Wisconsin that crashed near Valley, Nebraska, on June 12, 1980. The crash was caused by poor weather conditions making the engines fail and failure to recontrol the aircraft.
Carson Air Flight 66 was a Swearingen Metro II turboprop aircraft on a domestic cargo flight from Vancouver to Prince George, both in British Columbia, Canada. On 13 April 2015, the aircraft crashed into a mountain en route to Prince George Airport, killing both crew members.
True Aviation Flight 21 was a regularly scheduled domestic cargo flight in Bangladesh, flying from Cox's Bazar to Jashore. On 9 March 2016, the Antonov An-26 crashed into the Bay of Bengal shortly after take-off from Cox's Bazar Airport. The aircraft was attempting to return to the airport after experiencing an engine failure. Three of the four crew members on board were killed in the accident.
On the evening of April 1, 1993, a Swearingen Merlin III twin turboprop, carrying NASCAR champion Alan Kulwicki, crashed near Blountville, Tennessee, while on approach to the nearby Tri-Cities Regional Airport. All four people on board, including Alan Kulwicki, two executives of the Hooters restaurant chain, and the pilot, were killed.
Iberia Flight 933 was an international flight from Madrid Barajas International Airport bound for its destination, Boston-Logan International Airport in Boston that suffered a crash landing on December 17, 1973. As the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 operating the flight was approaching the airport, it collided with the approach lighting system (ALS) 500 feet (152 m) short of the runway threshold. The impact broke off the right main landing gear. The aircraft became airborne for about 1,200 feet (370 m), then landed on runway 33 Left, veered to the right off the runway and came to rest. All 168 on board survived, but the plane was written off. This accident was the first hull loss of the DC-10.
Aeroflot Flight 1492 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight operated by Aeroflot from Moscow–Sheremetyevo to Murmansk, Russia. On 5 May 2019, the Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft operating the flight was climbing out when it was struck by lightning. The aircraft suffered an electrical failure and returned to Sheremetyevo for an emergency landing. It bounced on landing and touched down hard, causing the landing gear to collapse, fuel to spill out of the wings, and a fire to erupt. The fire engulfed the rear of the aircraft, killing 41 of the 78 occupants.
Iberia Flight 1456 was a domestic scheduled flight from Barcelona-El Prat Airport to Bilbao Airport, Spain. On Wednesday, February 7, 2001, the Airbus A320 encountered a microburst-induced wind shear on final approach leading to the collapse of the aircraft's landing gear. All 143 passengers onboard survived; with 24 people suffering light injuries, and 1 person receiving serious injuries. The aircraft was irreparably damaged and was decommissioned, making it the ninth loss of an Airbus A320 at that time. This accident prompted Airbus to develop a fail-safe modification for its flight control software by preventing the airplane's built-in protection against stall from being activated by a high rate of change for the angle of attack.
On 12 May 2021, Key Lime Air Flight 970, a Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner operating a chartered cargo flight from Salida to Centennial, Colorado collided in mid-air with a private Cirrus SR22. Despite having sustained severe damage, the Swearingen Metroliner managed to land safely while the Cirrus SR22 deployed its CAPS system and safely parachuted to the ground. All three occupants on board both aircraft survived uninjured.
Loganair Flight 6780 was a scheduled domestic flight from Aberdeen Airport to Sumburgh Airport in the Shetland Islands, Scotland. On 15 December 2014, the Saab 2000 operating the flight was struck by lightning during the approach, and then plunged faster than the aircraft's maximum operating speed. The aircraft came within 1,100 feet (340 m) of the North Sea before the pilots recovered and returned to Aberdeen. All 33 passengers and crew were unharmed.