Culture of poor maintenance and inattention to safety also contributed to fatal accident in Uganda, inquiry concludes
An inquiry into the crash of an Antonov An-12B cargo aircraft at Entebbe, Uganda has identified overloading and engine failure as the causes of the accident in which the six Russian crew died. It also cites a culture of poor maintenance and inattention to safety oversight as contributory factors.
The aircraft (9Q-CIH) was registered in the Democratic Republic of Congo and operated by Uganda's Service Air. It crashed 10km (5nm) north of Entebbe on 8 January as it tried to turn back to the airport after an engine failure.
The investigators say the four-engined turboprop was loaded beyond the safe weight and balance envelope, taking off at 67.5t against the maximum take-off weight of 61t. It left Entebbe for Kinshasa at 09:48 GMT, lifting off from runway 35 after a 3,000m (9,840ft) ground run, as opposed to the 1,230m given in the flight manual. Some 2min later the crew reported to ATC that one of the starboard engines had failed and feathered on take-off, and the tower cleared the aircraft for an emergency landing on the reciprocal runway 17.
The report describes the aircraft trajectory: "Low and slow, with insufficient power from the remaining three engines the aircraft was unable to gain or maintain speed and altitude above terrain. On contacting tall trees, it stalled, crashed, disintegrated and was totally destroyed with its cargo in the intense fire that ensued." Although the flight data and cockpit voice recorders were recovered, they were not working.
The aircraft had left Kinshasa on 7 January on a non-scheduled flight to Entebbe with stopovers in Kisangani and Goma. Before departure the next day, a number of Russian crewmen were on the tarmac at 06:30, making repairs to one engine. The report says the airline did not have an air operator's certificate, nor did the aircraft have a certificate of airworthiness. It did not carry records of maintenance, insurance, crew licensing and training or quality control.
The report recommends that all operators in Ugandan airspace, even if licensed abroad, should meet the minimum safety requirements for Ugandan permits.
Culture of poor maintenance and inattention to safety also contributed to fatal accident in Uganda, inquiry concludes
MICHAEL WAKABI/KAMPALA
Source: Flight International
