Korean Air Cargo Flight 8509

Last updated

Korean Air Cargo Flight 8509
Boeing 747-2B5F-SCD, Korean Air Cargo AN1625192.jpg
HL7451, the aircraft involved in the accident, in 1992
Accident
Date22 December 1999 (1999-12-22)
SummaryCrashed after take off due to pilot error caused by instrument failure compounded by poor CRM
Site Great Hallingbury, England, United Kingdom
51°51′23″N0°12′59″E / 51.85639°N 0.21639°E / 51.85639; 0.21639 [1]
Aircraft
Aircraft type Boeing 747-2B5F
Operator Korean Air Cargo
IATA flight No.KE8509
ICAO flight No.KAL8509
Call signKOREAN AIR 8509
Registration HL7451
Flight origin Gimpo International Airport, Seoul, South Korea
1st stopover Tashkent International Airport, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
2nd stopover London Stansted Airport, England, United Kingdom
Destination Milan Malpensa Airport, Milan, Italy
Occupants4
Crew4
Fatalities4
Survivors0

Korean Air Cargo Flight 8509 was a Boeing 747-2B5F, registered HL7451 bound for Milan Malpensa Airport, that crashed due to instrument malfunction and pilot error on 22 December 1999 shortly after take-off from London Stansted Airport where the final leg of its route from South Korea to Italy had begun. The aircraft crashed into Hatfield Forest near the village of Great Hallingbury, close to, but clear of, some houses, killing all four crew members on board. [2] [3]

Contents

Background

Aircraft

The aircraft involved was a Boeing 747-2B5F, MSN 22480, registered as HL7451, which was manufactured in 1980. In its 19 years of service, it had logged approximately 15,451 flights and 83,011 airframe hours before its fatal flight. It was equipped with four Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7Q engines. [2] [4]

Flight crew

The flight crew consisted of:

The captain was a former colonel and pilot in the Republic of Korea Air Force and a highly experienced airman, [7] with a total of 13,490 flying hours – 8,495 of which were accumulated flying Boeing 747s. The first officer, in contrast, was relatively inexperienced with just 195 hours of flying experience on the 747 and a total of 1,406 flight hours. The flight engineer, like the captain, had a lot of experience flying 747s – 4,511 out of his 8,301 total flight hours were accrued in them. The maintenance mechanic had been involved with the failed INU repair. [7]

INU failure and failed repair

Following the plane's departure from Tashkent on the previous flight segment, one of its inertial navigation units (INUs) had partially failed, providing erroneous roll data to the captain's attitude director indicator (ADI or artificial horizon). The first officer's ADI and a backup ADI were correct, a comparator alarm called attention to the discrepancy, and in daylight, the erroneous indication was easily identified. The ADI's input selector was switched to the other INU and the correct indications returned. [2]

At Stansted, the engineers who attempted to repair the ADI did not have the correct Fault Isolation Manual available and did not repair or replace the faulty number 1 INU. One of them identified and repaired a damaged connecting plug on the ADI. When the ADI responded correctly to its "Test" button, they believed the fault had been corrected, although this button only tested the ADI and not the INU. The ADI's input selector was left in the normal position. [2]

Flight

Attitude reference data at the moment of impact of HL-7451. Note the captain's (left side) ADI shows the aircraft near wings-level and nearly 40 degrees nose-down, while the first officer's (right) ADI shown the aircraft in a steep left bank of nearly 90 degrees and nearly 40 degrees nose down. These indications were reconstructed using the last information recovered from the flight data recorder. The centre instrument, the "standby horizon," was heavily damaged in the impact, and only the front part of it was recovered a year later. Its near 90 degree bank angle agrees with the first officer's ADI, and smudge marks suggest the vertical reference was forcibly moved against the instrument, which might account for its apparent pitch discrepancy with the other two instruments. Korean Air Cargo Flight 8509 - final ADI indications.jpg
Attitude reference data at the moment of impact of HL-7451. Note the captain's (left side) ADI shows the aircraft near wings-level and nearly 40 degrees nose-down, while the first officer's (right) ADI shown the aircraft in a steep left bank of nearly 90 degrees and nearly 40 degrees nose down. These indications were reconstructed using the last information recovered from the flight data recorder. The centre instrument, the "standby horizon," was heavily damaged in the impact, and only the front part of it was recovered a year later. Its near 90 degree bank angle agrees with the first officer's ADI, and smudge marks suggest the vertical reference was forcibly moved against the instrument, which might account for its apparent pitch discrepancy with the other two instruments.

It was dark when the plane took off from London Stansted Airport, with the captain flying. [7] The aircraft entered the clouds 400 feet above the terrain. When the captain banked the plane to the left, the faulty INU sent erroneous data to his ADI, preventing the instrument from showing the aircraft was in a bank. The comparator alarm sounded repeatedly, which was an indication that the aircraft's two ADI displays were in disagreement. [7] The first officer, whose own ADI displayed the correct angle of bank, according to information from the aircraft's flight data recorder, [1] failed to participate in full crew resource management techniques, saying nothing to challenge his captain's actions nor making any attempt to take over the flight with his own controls. The older and more experienced flight engineer did call out "Bank is not working" (translated into English from Korean in the AAIB report) 20.8 seconds before impact, "Bank Bank" (in English) 16.9 seconds before impact, "Standby indicator [in English] also not working [in Korean]" 10.2 seconds before impact, and "OY Bank" (in Korean) 1.5 seconds before impact. [1] The captain continued to ignore the chiming alarm [2] and made no verbal response to the flight engineer. [7] Data from the flight recorder indicate that during this time the control wheel was commanding the aircraft into a steeper left bank. [1] At 18:38, 55 seconds after take-off, Flight 8509's left-wing dragged along the ground, then the aircraft plunged into the ground at a speed of between 250 and 300 knots (460 and 560 km/h; 290 and 350 mph), [1] in a 40° pitch down and 90° left bank attitude. [2] The aircraft exploded on impact. [7]

Aftermath

After the investigation, the United Kingdom's Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) issued recommendations to Korean Air to revise its training program and company culture, to promote a more free atmosphere between the captain and the first officer. [7] The first recommendation of the AAIB's final accident report was that:

Korean Air continue to update their training and Flight Quality Assurance programmes, to accommodate Crew Resource Management evolution and industry developments, to address issues specific to their operational environment and ensure adaptation of imported training material to accommodate the Korean culture. [2] [1]

A March 2012 episode of Mayday also called Air Crash Investigation in the U.K. and the rest of the world (Season 11 Episode 7) titled "Bad Attitude" or "Stansted Crash" investigates this accident. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aviation accidents and incidents</span> Accidental aviation occurences

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Korean Air</span> Flag carrier of South Korea

Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd. is the flag carrier of South Korea and its largest airline based on fleet size, international destinations, and international flights. It is owned by the Hanjin Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Japan Air Lines Flight 123</span> 1985 plane crash in Japan

Japan Air Lines Flight 123 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Tokyo to Osaka, Japan. On August 12, 1985, the Boeing 747 flying the route suffered a severe structural failure and decompression 12 minutes into the flight. After flying under minimal control for a further 32 minutes, it crashed in the area of Mount Takamagahara, 100 kilometres from Tokyo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air India Flight 855</span> 1978 aviation accident

Air India Flight 855 was a scheduled passenger flight from Bombay, India, to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. On 1 January 1978, the Boeing 747 operating the flight crashed into the Arabian Sea about 3 km off the coast of Bandra, less than two minutes after take-off, killing all 213 passengers and crew on board. An investigation into the crash determined the most likely probable cause was the captain becoming spatially disoriented and losing control of the aircraft after the failure of one of the flight instruments. It was the deadliest air accident both in Air India's and India's history until Flight 182 in 1985 and the Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avianca Flight 011</span> 1983 plane crash near Madrid, Spain

Avianca Flight 011 was a Boeing 747-200BM Combi on an international scheduled passenger flight from Frankfurt to Bogotá via Paris, Madrid, and Caracas that crashed near Madrid on 27 November 1983. It took off from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris at 22:25 on 26 November 1983 for Madrid Barajas Airport; take-off was delayed waiting for additional passengers from a Lufthansa flight due to a cancellation of the Paris-Frankfurt-Paris segment by Avianca for operational reasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Copa Airlines Flight 201</span> 1992 aviation accident in Panama

Copa Airlines Flight 201 was a regularly scheduled passenger flight from Tocumen International Airport in Panama City, Panama, to Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport in Cali, Colombia. On 6 June 1992, the Boeing 737-204 Advanced operating the route rolled, entered a steep dive, disintegrated in mid-air, and crashed into the jungle of the Darién Gap 29 minutes after takeoff, killing all 47 people on board. The in-flight breakup was caused by faulty instrument readings and several other contributing factors, including incomplete training.

Korean Air has been in operation since 1969, and this article is about aviation incidents and accidents involving the airline and its predecessor companies Korean National Airlines and Korean Air Lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Algérie Flight 702P</span> 1994 air crash in England

Air Algérie Flight 702P, named Oasis and registered 7T-VEE, was a Boeing 737 owned by Air Algérie and leased by Phoenix Aviation. On 21 December 1994, in low visibility conditions, it collided with power transmission cables and a pylon during its final approach to Coventry Airport in the United Kingdom. The aircraft subsequently overturned and damaged several houses before crashing inverted into a wooded area beyond. All five people on board were killed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asiana Airlines Flight 733</span> 1993 plane crash in South Korea

Asiana Airlines Flight 733 was a domestic Asiana Airlines passenger flight from Seoul-Gimpo International Airport to Mokpo Airport, South Korea. The Boeing 737 crashed on 26 July 1993, in the Hwawon area of Haenam County, South Jeolla Province. The cause of the accident was determined to be pilot error leading to controlled flight into terrain. 68 of the 116 passengers and crew on board were killed. The crash resulted in the first hull loss of a 737-500.

As of January 2025, a total of 64 Boeing 747 aircraft, or just above 4% of the total number of 747s built, first flown commercially in 1970, have been involved in accidents and incidents resulting in a hull loss, meaning that the aircraft was either destroyed or damaged beyond economical repair. Of the 64 Boeing 747 aircraft losses, 32 resulted in no loss of life; in one, a hostage was murdered; and in one, a terrorist died.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Airways Flight 38</span> 2008 aviation accident at London Heathrow Airport

British Airways Flight 38 was a scheduled international passenger flight from Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, China, to Heathrow Airport in London, United Kingdom, an 8,100-kilometre trip. On 17 January 2008, the Boeing 777-200ER aircraft operating the flight crashed-landed short of the runway at Heathrow. Of the 152 people on board, no fatalities resulted, but 47 people were injured, 1 of them seriously. The aircraft was written off, becoming the first hull loss of a Boeing 777.

During the 1990s, a series of issues affecting the rudder of Boeing 737 passenger aircraft resulted in multiple incidents. In two separate accidents, pilots lost control of their aircraft due to a sudden and unexpected rudder movement, and the resulting crashes killed everyone on board, 157 people in total. Similar rudder issues led to a temporary loss of control on at least one other Boeing 737 flight before the cause of the problem was ultimately identified.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aeroflot Flight 821</span> 2008 Boeing 737-500 crash in Russia

Aeroflot-Nord Flight 821 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight operated by Aeroflot-Nord in a service agreement with Aeroflot and as its subsidiary. On 14 September 2008, the aircraft operating the flight crashed on approach to Perm International Airport at 5:10 local time (UTC+06). All 82 passengers and six crew members were killed. Among the passengers who were killed was Russian Colonel General Gennady Troshev, an adviser to the President of Russia who had been the commander of the North Caucasus Military District during the Second Chechen War. A section of the Trans-Siberian Railway was damaged by the crash. Flight 821 is the deadliest accident involving a Boeing 737-500, surpassing the 1993 crash of Asiana Airlines Flight 733, and was the second-deadliest aviation accident of 2008, behind Spanair Flight 5022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Korean Air Flight 801</span> 1997 passenger plane crash on Guam

Korean Air Flight 801 was a scheduled international passenger flight operated by Korean Air, from Gimpo International Airport, Seoul to Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport, Guam. On August 6, 1997, the Boeing 747-300 operating the flight crashed on Bijia Peak, south of Nimitz Hill, in Asan-Maina, Guam, while on approach to the destination airport, killing 229 of the 254 people aboard. It's the deadliest aviation accident to occur in American dependent territory, and the fourth-deadliest aviation accident to take occur on American soil overall, excluding terrorism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Al Flight 1862</span> 1992 plane crash in the Netherlands

On 4 October 1992, El Al Flight 1862, a Boeing 747 cargo aircraft of the Israeli airline El Al, crashed into the Groeneveen and Klein-Kruitberg flats in the Bijlmermeer neighbourhood of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The accident is known in Dutch as the Bijlmerramp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asiana Airlines Flight 991</span> 2011 aviation accident in South Korea

Asiana Airlines Flight 991 was a cargo flight operated by Asiana Airlines. On 28 July 2011, the Boeing 747-400F flying from Seoul, South Korea, to Shanghai, China, crashed into the sea off Jeju Island after suffering an in-flight cargo fire. Both pilots, the only two people on board, were killed. The accident marked the second loss of a 747 freighter due to a cargo hold fire in less than a year, following the crash of UPS Airlines Flight 6 in Dubai in September 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northwest Airlines Flight 85</span> 2002 aviation incident near Anchorage, Alaska, USA

Northwest Airlines Flight 85 was a scheduled international passenger flight from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in the United States to Narita International Airport in Japan. On October 9, 2002, while over the Bering Sea, the Boeing 747-400 experienced a lower rudder hardover event, which occurs when an aircraft's rudder deflects to its travel limit without crew input. The 747's hardover gave full left lower rudder, requiring the pilots to use full right upper rudder and right aileron to maintain attitude and course.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Airlines Flight 102</span> 2013 aviation accident in Afghanistan

National Airlines Flight 102 (N8102/NCR102) was a cargo flight operated by National Airlines between Camp Shorabak near the city of Lashkargah in Afghanistan and Al Maktoum Airport in Dubai, with a refueling stop at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. On 29 April 2013, the Boeing 747-400 operating the flight crashed within the perimeter of the Bagram airfield moments after taking off, killing all seven people on board.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Korean Air Cargo Flight 6316</span> 1999 aviation accident in China

Korean Air Cargo Flight 6316 (KE6316/KAL6316) was a scheduled Korean Air Cargo freight flight from Shanghai to Seoul. On 15 April 1999, the McDonnell Douglas MD-11F operating the route, registered as HL7373, crashed in Xinzhuang, Shanghai shortly after taking off from Hongqiao Airport, killing all 3 crew on board, along with 5 on the ground.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turkish Airlines Flight 6491</span> 2017 cargo airliner crash in Kyrgyzstan

Turkish Airlines Flight 6491 was a scheduled international cargo flight operated by ACT Airlines on behalf of Turkish Cargo, from Hong Kong to Istanbul via Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. On 16 January 2017, the Boeing 747-400F flying the route crashed in a residential area while attempting to land in thick fog at Manas International Airport, Bishkek. A total of 39 people – all 4 crew members on board and 35 residents on the ground – were killed.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Report appendices" (PDF). Air Accident Investigation Branch . Retrieved 30 June 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Report on the accident to Boeing 747-2B5F, HL-7451 near London Stansted Airport on 22 December 1999" (PDF). Air Accident Investigation Branch. June 2003. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 June 2012. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
  3. ↑ "Korean Air Cargo Flight 8509 incident report". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
  4. ↑ "Accident Boeing 747-2B5F (SCD) HL7451, Wednesday 22 December 1999". asn.flightsafety.org. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  5. ↑ Byrne, Caroline (23 December 1999). "Korean Air Faces Crackdown After 4 Die In London Crash". The Seattle Times . Associated Press . Retrieved 3 January 2012.
  6. ↑ "[KAL화물기 추락]英서 이륙2분만에…승무원 4명 모두 사망" [[KAL Freighter crashed] 2 minutes after taking off from British... All four crew members died]. The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). 23 December 1999. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. 이 사고로 기장 박득규(朴得圭·57)씨, 부기장 윤기식(尹基植·33)씨, 항공기관사 박훈규(朴薰圭·38)씨, 정비사 김일석(金日奭·45)씨 등 한국인 승무원 4명이 모두 숨졌다. [English: All four Korean crew members died in the accident, including Captain Park Deuk-kyu (박·57), Deputy General Manager Ki-Sik Yoon (33), Aircraft Engineer Park Hun-kyu (朴薰圭·38), and mechanic Kim Il-suk (金日奭·45)]
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Bad Attitude". Mayday. Season 11. Episode 7. March 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.