RwandAir Flight 205

Last updated
RwandAir Flight 205
2010-09-14 15-29-43 Kenya Nairobi Area Embakasi 5Y-JLB.jpg
5Y-JLB, sister ship of the accident aircraft
Accident
Date12 November 2009
SummaryGround collision with terminal
Site Kigali International Airport, Kigali, Rwanda
Aircraft
Aircraft type Bombardier CRJ100
Operator JetLink Express
IATA flight No.WB205
Registration 5Y-JLD
Flight origin Kigali International Airport, Kigali, Rwanda
Destination Entebbe International Airport, Entebbe, Uganda
Passengers10
Crew5
Fatalities1
Injuries10
Survivors14

RwandAir Flight 205 was a Canadair CRJ100 that crashed into the Terminal Building after an emergency landing at Kigali, Rwanda killing one passenger. [1] The flight was operated by JetLink Express on behalf of RwandAir. In the aftermath of the accident, RwandAir suspended all operations with JetLink Express.

Contents

Accident

The flight took off from Kigali International Airport, shortly after which the pilots informed air traffic control that the left thrust lever had become jammed at the Takeoff Power setting. The pilots did not utilize the Thrust Lever Jammed Abnormal Checklist Procedure and instead immediately returned to the airport with the right thrust lever (which was adjustable) at idle, landing shortly after 11:30am. The aircraft stopped short of the VIP Terminal Building but lurched forward as the chocks were being put in place; the aircraft then crashed into the VIP terminal. [1] A fire followed the accident but was put out. The co-pilot was eventually freed from the wreckage three hours after the crash. [2] Of the 10 passengers and 5 crew, all survived the initial crash with injuries to 10 people on the aircraft and in the VIP terminal. One female passenger died shortly after arriving at a hospital. [3]

A RwandAir spokesperson said, "He landed safely on the runway and was guided by the marshals into the parking area. For some unexplained reason, the plane, from the parking spot, took off again at full power and ... took a right turn, unexplained, into the technical building." [4] The METAR in force at the time of the accident was HRYR 121030Z VRB03KT 9999 BKN030 24/18 Q1018 NOSIG=. [5]

Aftermath

Post-flight investigation revealed the cable connecting the Left Thrust Lever to the engine assembly had severed shortly after application of Takeoff power. A procedure in the aircraft's Quick Reference Handbook (QRH) titled "Thrust Lever Jammed" would have directed the pilots to shut down the left engine by utilizing the Left Engine Fire push switch, which would have closed (among other things) the Fuel SOV (shutoff valve), thus allowing the speed of the aircraft to be better controlled while landing the aircraft. This QRH procedure would have been accomplished "at a safe altitude" per the procedure, while giving consideration to terrain or other obstacles. The pilots did not perform the above procedure, and instead, chose to immediately return to the airport, landing at a higher than normal airspeed due to the left engine still producing takeoff thrust, making it difficult to stop the aircraft and using much greater runway distance than normal. The aircraft was taxied back to the terminal with the left engine still producing takeoff power and the right engine at idle. When the aircraft was brought to a stop at the terminal building, the right engine was shut down by the pilots, the left engine was still operating at takeoff thrust, and the hydraulics were all turned "off", which was common procedure at the time. The aircraft disc brakes on the Canadair CRJ100 are operated by two of the three hydraulic systems on the aircraft, with System 2 supplied by pumps on the right engine (both mechanical and electric) and System 3 being supplied by two electric pumps. By shutting off the right engine and all of the electric hydraulic systems, the brakes as well as the parking brake were no longer being powered. As the hydraulic pressure bled down and with the left engine still producing takeoff thrust, the aircraft jumped over the chocks, lurched to the right (caused by the left engine thrust), and hit the terminal building. [6] The left engine was eventually shut down by the airport crash tender spraying foam into the engine.

Aircraft

The aircraft involved was a Canadair CRJ100, registration 5Y-JLD, which first flew in 1997. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pinnacle Airlines Flight 3701</span> 2004 aviation accident

On October 14, 2004, Pinnacle Airlines Flight 3701 crashed near Jefferson City, Missouri, while flying from Little Rock National Airport to Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport. The two pilots, the only occupants on board, were killed. Federal investigators determined the crash was due to the pilots' unprofessional behavior and disregard for training and procedures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Air Lines Flight 227</span> 1965 aviation accident

United Airlines Flight 227 (N7030U), a scheduled passenger flight from LaGuardia Airport New York City to San Francisco International Airport, California, crashed short of the runway while attempting a scheduled landing at Salt Lake City International Airport, Utah, on Thursday, November 11, 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Addison Airport</span> Public airport in Addison, Dallas County, Texas

Addison Airport is a public airport in Addison, in Dallas County, Texas, United States, 9 mi north of downtown Dallas. It opened in 1954 and was purchased by the town of Addison in 1976. It is home to the Cavanaugh Flight Museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kigali International Airport</span> International airport in Rwanda

Kigali International Airport, formerly known as Kanombe International Airport, is the primary international airport serving Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. Currently, there is an ongoing project to build another mega-airport in Bugesera District, Eastern Province, which will be the biggest and the main air gateway for all destinations in the country, in addition to serving as a transit airport for Goma and Bukavu in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. There are 4 airlines based in Kigali: RwandAir, the flag carrier airline of Rwanda; Akagera Aviation, a Rwandan heli-company; Tempus Jet, an American airline providing charter flights; and Nexus Aero, a Saudi VIP airline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">S7 Airlines Flight 778</span> 2006 aviation accident

S7 Airlines Flight 778(S7778/SBI778) was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Moscow to Irkutsk, Russia. On 9 July 2006, at 06:44 local time, the Airbus A310-324 aircraft operating the route overran the runway during its landing in Irkutsk. The aircraft failed to stop and crashed through the airport's concrete perimeter fence, struck rows of private garages and burst into flames, killing 125 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Canada Flight 646</span> 1997 aviation accident

Air Canada Flight 646 was a flight from Toronto's Lester B. Pearson International Airport to Fredericton, New Brunswick, operated by Air Canada. On December 16, 1997, at 23:48 local time, the Canadair CRJ100ER (CL-65) jet crashed after a failed go-around attempt in Fredericton. All passengers and crew survived, despite a 1-hour, 30-minute emergency response time and inadequate emergency training of the flight crew. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair and written off, making the accident the second hull loss of a CRJ100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TAM Transportes Aéreos Regionais Flight 402</span> 1996 aviation accident

TAM Transportes Aéreos Regionais Flight 402 was a scheduled domestic flight from São Paulo–Congonhas International Airport in São Paulo, Brazil to Recife International Airport in Recife via Santos Dumont Airport in Rio de Janeiro. On 31 October 1996, at 8:27 (UTC-2), the starboard engine of the Fokker 100 operating the route reversed thrust while the aircraft was climbing away from the runway at Congonhas. The aircraft stalled and rolled beyond control to the right, then struck two buildings and crashed into several houses in a heavily populated area only 25 seconds after takeoff. All 95 people on board were killed, as well as another 4 on the ground. It is the fourth deadliest accident in Brazilian aviation history, the second at the time. It is also the deadliest aviation accident involving a Fokker 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TWA Flight 843</span> 1992 American air accident

TWA Flight 843 was a scheduled Trans World Airlines passenger flight that crashed after an aborted takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport to San Francisco International Airport (California) in July 1992. Despite an intense fire after the crash, the crew was able to evacuate all 280 passengers from the aircraft. There was no loss of life, although the aircraft was destroyed by the fire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bombardier CRJ100/200</span> Regional jet airliner

The Bombardier CRJ100 and CRJ200 is a regional jet designed and manufactured by Bombardier Aerospace between 1991 and 2006, the first of the Bombardier CRJ family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TAM Airlines Flight 3054</span> 2007 plane crash in São Paulo, Brazil

TAM Airlines Flight 3054 (JJ3054/TAM3054) was a regularly scheduled domestic passenger flight operated by TAM Airlines from Porto Alegre to São Paulo, Brazil. On the evening of July 17, 2007, the Airbus A320-233 serving the flight overran runway 35L at São Paulo during moderate rain and crashed into a nearby TAM Express warehouse adjacent to a Shell gas station. The plane exploded on impact, resulting in the death of all 187 passengers and crew on board, as well as 12 people on the ground. This crash surpassed Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907 as the deadliest aviation accident in Brazilian territory and in South American history and was the deadliest involving the Airbus A320 series until the bombing of Metrojet Flight 9268 in 2015 which killed 224.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waukegan National Airport</span> Airport in Waukegan, Illinois

Waukegan National Airport is a public airport in Waukegan, in Lake County, Illinois. The airport is 40 miles (64 km) north of Chicago. It was originally Waukegan Memorial Airport. It has been operated by the Waukegan Port District since 1956 and is the second busiest airport in Illinois for international arrivals. In January 2014 under a FAA reclassification of many small airports, the airport was renamed Waukegan National Airport

Rantoul National Aviation Center, also known as Frank Elliott Field, is a public use airport located in Rantoul, a village in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. It is owned by the Village of Rantoul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aeroflot Flight 411</span> 1982 aviation accident

Aeroflot Flight 411 was an international scheduled flight from Sheremetyevo Airport, Moscow to Freetown, Sierra Leone via Dakar in Senegal. Early on 6 July 1982, the four-engined Ilyushin Il-62 crashed and was destroyed by fire after two engines were shut down shortly after take-off. All 90 passengers and crew on board died as a result of the crash.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belavia Flight 1834</span> 2008 aviation accident

Belavia Flight 1834 was a scheduled international passenger flight from Yerevan, Armenia, to Minsk, Belarus, operated by Belavia. On the morning of February 14, 2008, the Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet carrying 18 passengers and three crew crashed and burst into flames shortly after take off from Zvartnots International Airport near Yerevan, the capital of Armenia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1955 MacArthur Airport United Air Lines crash</span> Airplane crash in New York

On April 4, 1955, a United Airlines Douglas DC-6 named Mainliner Idaho crashed shortly after taking off from Long Island MacArthur Airport, in Ronkonkoma, Islip, New York, United States.

Athens Municipal Airport is a city-owned public-use UNICOM airport located three nautical miles southeast of the central business district of Athens, in Henderson County, Texas, United States. It is mostly used for general aviation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgian Airways Flight 834</span> 2011 aviation accident in Democratic Republic of the Congo

On 4 April 2011, Georgian Airways Flight 834, a Bombardier CRJ100 passenger jet of Georgian Airways operating a domestic flight from Kisangani to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) crashed while attempting to land at Kinshasa Airport. The aircraft, which was chartered by the United Nations, was trying to land during a thunderstorm. Of the 33 people on board, only one person survived. The incident remains as the United Nations' deadliest aviation disaster. It is also the third-deadliest air disaster involving the CRJ100/200, behind Comair Flight 5191 and China Eastern Airlines Flight 5210.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centurion Air Cargo Flight 164</span> 2008 aviation accident

Centurion Air Cargo Flight 164 was a chartered international cargo flight, flying from Bogota's El Dorado International Airport while en route to Miami International Airport. The flight was operated by Kalitta Air and the aircraft was wet leased by Centurion Air Cargo. On 7 July 2008, the aircraft, a Boeing 747-209BSF registered as N714CK, crashed shortly after takeoff. All aboard suffered injuries, but none were killed. Two people on the ground were killed after the plane slammed into a farm. The crash was the second crash of a Boeing 747 in 2008 in Kalitta Air service, after a previous accident at Brussels in May.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pan Am Flight 799</span> 1968 airplane crash

Pan Am Flight 799 was an international cargo flight from Los Angeles International Airport to Cam Ranh Airport in South Vietnam that crashed on December 26, 1968, near Anchorage, Alaska. The aircraft involved was a Boeing 707-321C aircraft operated by Pan American World Airways. All three crew members died in the crash.

References

  1. 1 2 "Rwandair Plane Crashes Into Airport Building". eturbonews.com. ETurboNews. 2009-11-13. Retrieved 2021-06-25.
  2. "Co-pilot stuck in wreckage for three hours". AllAfrica. 2009-11-13.
  3. Hradecky, Simon (12 November 2009). "Accident: Jetlink Air CRJ1 at Kigali on Nov 12th 2009, throttle jam, impacted terminal after return". avherald.com. The Aviation Herald. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  4. "Rwandair plane crashes into VIP lounge; one dead". NewsComAu. News Corp Australia. 2009-11-13. Retrieved 2021-06-25.
  5. Translation of METAR: METAR for Kigali Airport, issued on the 12th of the month at 10:30 UTC. Wind variable at 3 knots, unlimited visibility, broken clouds at 3000 feet, temperature 24°C, dewpoint 18°C, QNH 1018 hPa, no significant changes expected, end of METAR report.
  6. "RwandAir Jet Crashes into VIP Terminal in Kigali and Kills One Passenger". airsafe. Retrieved 2021-06-25.
  7. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Canadair CL-600-2B19 Regional Jet CRJ-100ER 5Y-JLD Kigali International Airport (KGL)". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network . Retrieved 2021-06-25.