INVESTIGATORS of the Garuda Indonesia Airlines McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 fatal runway overrun (Flight International, 19-25 June) are examining the captain's decision to abort the take-off following a No 3 engine failure, say sources close to the accident inquiry.
The aircraft had been rotated for take-off. At that stage, standard operating procedure for an engine failure is to continue the take-off.
After take-off decision-speed (V1) and rotate was reached, the No 3 (starboard) engine began to lose power, says the source. The other two engines were at full power at the time of the decision. During the deceleration, reverse thrust was applied on the serviceable engines, with the asymmetric power affecting the aircraft's directional control. The undercarriage collapsed during the overrun, and the separated starboard main-gear hit the No 2 (tail) engine, causing a large gash in the cowling which had led to early speculation that the engine had suffered mechanical failure.
Three people lost their lives in the crash.
Source: Flight International
