Turkish Airlines Boeing 737 Crash, Amsterdam Schiphol

[Champcar]

From seeing the pictures, the cockpit didn't look too banged up, yet all 3 pilots up front died. Terrible news.

RIP

It actually is pretty bad on the bottom, it you look at other angles it looks like the bottom part of the nose was crashed up into the flight deck.

 

[mastermags]

.... "outta gas!"

 

[granlistillo]

RIP

Living for two years about 20 miles from Schiphol, I can say the Dutch "Hiede" is like a flat wet sponge. About the best place to put down hard... I am glad so many lived.

 

[Velocipede]

.... "outta gas!"

Whenever there's no fire, you always get suspicious about this.

 

[Dj To Rule]

There was gas.. just slow crash landing into wet feild.

 

[Dj To Rule]

Eyewitness report: http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/domestic/11090641.asp?scr=1he

Erroneous reading on RA:
http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/world/11130836.asp?gid=244

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/00e14e8a-...27-11da-ba9f-00000e2511c8.html?nclick_check=1

FROM: THE BOEING COMPANY
TO: MOM [MESSAGE NUMBER:MOM-MOM-09-0063-01B<WBR></WBR>] 04-Mar-2009 05:29:01 AM US PACIFIC TIME
Multi Operator Message

This message is sent to all 737-100,-200,-300,-400,-50<WBR></WBR>0,-600,-700,-800,-900,-BBJ<WBR></WBR> customers and to respective Boeing Field Service bases, Regional Directors, the Air Transport Association, International Air Transport Association, and Airline Resident Representatives.

SERVICE REQUEST ID: 1-1228079803
ACCOUNT: Boeing Correspondence (MOM)
DUE DATE: 10-Mar-2009
PRODUCT TYPE: Airplane
PRODUCT LINE: 737
PRODUCT: 737-100,-200,-300,-400,-50<WBR></WBR>0,-600,-700,-800,-900,-BBJ<WBR></WBR>
ATA: 3400-00

SUBJECT: 737-800 TC-JGE Accident at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam - 25 February 2009

REFERENCES:
/A/ 1-1222489391 Dated 25 February 2009

Reference /A/ provides Boeing's previous fleet communication on the subject event. The US NTSB, FAA, Boeing, the Turkish DGCA, the operator, the UK AAIB, and the French BEA continue to actively support the Dutch Safety Board's (DSB) investigation of this accident.

The DSB has released a statement on the progress of the investigation and has approved the release of the following information.

While the complex investigation is just beginning, certain facts have emerged from work completed thus far:

- To date, no evidence has been found of bird strike, engine or airframe icing, wake turbulence or windshear.
- There was adequate fuel on board the airplane during the entire flight.
- Both engines responded normally to throttle inputs during the entire flight.
- The airplane responded normally to flight control inputs throughout the flight.


The Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) data indicates that the crew was using autopilot B and the autothrottle for an ILS (Instrument Landing System) approach to runway 18R at Amsterdam Schiphol airport. During the approach, the right Low Range Radio Altimeter (LRRA) was providing accurate data and the left LRRA was providing an erroneous reading of -7 to -8 feet. When descending through approximately 2000 feet the autothrottle, which uses the left radio altimeter data, transitioned to landing flare mode and retarded the throttles to the idle stop. The throttles remained at the idle stop for approximately 100 seconds during which time the airspeed decreased to approximately 40 knots below the selected approach speed.

The two LRRA systems provide height above ground readings to several aircraft systems including the instrument displays, autothrottle, autopilots and configuration/ground proximity warning. If one LRRA provides erroneous altitude readings, typical flight deck effects, which require flight crew intervention whether or not accompanied by an LRRA fault flag, include:

- Large differences between displayed radio altitudes, including radio altitude readings of -8 feet in flight.
- Inability to engage both autopilots in dual channel APP (Approach) mode
- Unexpected removal of the Flight Director Command Bars during approach
- Unexpected Configuration Warnings during approach, go-around and initial climb after takeoff
- Premature FMA (Flight Mode Annunciation) indicating autothrottle RETARD mode during approach phase with the airplane above 27 feet AGL. There will also be corresponding throttle movement towards the idle stop. Additionally, the FMA will continue to indicate RETARD after the throttles have reached the idle stop

Boeing Recommended Action
- Boeing recommends operators inform flight crews of the above investigation details and the DSB interim report when it is released. In addition, crews should be reminded to carefully monitor primary flight instruments (airspeed, attitude etc.) and the FMA for autoflight modes. More information can be found in the Boeing 737 Flight Crew Training Manual and Flight Crew Operations Manual.

Operators who experience any of the flight deck effects described above should consult the troubleshooting instructions contained in the 737 Airplane Maintenance Manual. Further, 737-NG operators may wish to review 737NG-FTD-34-09001 which provides information specific for the 737-NG installation. Initial investigations suggest that a similar sequence of events and flight deck indications are theoretically possible on the 737-100/-200/-300/-400/-50<WBR></WBR>0. Consequently the above recommendations also apply to earlier 737 models.

 

[TFaudree_ERAU]

It would blow my mind if it was determined that the crew failed notice the throttles being at idle for over a minute and a half while configured for and established on the approach. I hope that wasn't the case.

 

[Dj To Rule]

It would blow my mind if it was determined that the crew failed notice the throttles being at idle for over a minute and a half while configured for and established on the approach. I hope that wasn't the case.

Yeah I find that hard to believe as well, waiting for the full crash report which will take months of investigation.

 

[MikeD]

It would blow my mind if it was determined that the crew failed notice the throttles being at idle for over a minute and a half while configured for and established on the approach. I hope that wasn't the case.

I find that hard to believe too. But stranger things have happened in airliner accidents. Eastern 401 and United 173 come to mind; in those cases, very minor potential emergencies that turned into catastrophes.

 

[derg]

Especially the Eastern accident. Talk about doofus.

 

[Champcar]

Pilots seem to love flying perfectly good aircraft right into the ground.

It's just the human aspect that you try to hard to cover for, but sometimes it just happens.

 

[Trip7]

Plane crashed due to erroneous altimeter. AP thought plane was on ground and retarded throttles at 700 meters. Plane crashed with autopilot on.....



CNN) -- A "faulty" flight instrument contributed to the crash of a Turkish plane last month in the Netherlands, an accident that killed nine people and injured more than 60 others, Dutch safety authorities said on Wednesday.


Turkish Airlines workers carry the coffins of four staff who died in the crash.

On February 25, Turkish Airlines Flight 1951 from Istanbul to Amsterdam dropped from the sky on approach to the landing strip at Schiphol Airport, shattering into three pieces in a muddy field.

Pieter van Vollenhoven, head of the Dutch Safety Board, said the instrument was one of the plane's two altimeters, which measure altitude.

Because of the "faulty" left altimeter, the plane on automatic pilot reacted as if it were lower than it was and started to behave as if it was touching down.

The plane was at 700 meters but the instrument indicated that it was at ground level. This caused the automatic throttles to slow the plane down, leading to a loss of speed.

The plane was on automatic pilot when it crashed. Van Vollenhoven said there had been misty weather and if it were clearer then the pilots might have noticed how far up they were.

He said that if such instruments don't function, automatic pilots should not be used for landings. Investigators said there had been faulty meter readings on two other flights but the pilots were able to land.

Don't Miss
Third Boeing employee among crash dead
Investigators find flight recorders
Van Vollenhoven said that the pilots realized the problem but failed to appreciate what had been happening until it was too late.

In the immediate aftermath of the crash investigators said the plane fell almost vertically to the ground indicating the aircraft did not have enough forward speed.

The plane crash less than 500 yards short of the runway.

Passengers described feeling the plane suddenly drop before impact, and at least one passenger said he heard the pilot trying to give more power to the engines before it went down.

Four of the crew and three Boeing employees were among the nine people killed in the crash.

Turkey's flagship airline is well-rated internationally for its overall safety record and the Boeing 737-800 has a good safety record.

The last previous fatal incident at the Amsterdam airport happened in April 1994 when a KLM aircraft crashed as it tried to return to Schiphol shortly after takeoff.