Evidence emerging late last week from the 6 November crash of a Luxair Fokker 50 on final approach in poor visibility to Luxembourg Findel Airport failed to show a clear reason for the accident. The airline confirms that there were no indications from the pilots of any problems.
The 11-year-old aircraft (LX-LGB) was operating from Berlin to Findel with three crew and 19 passengers on board when it crashed 6km (3nm) from runway 24 in fog, killing everyone but the captain and one passenger.
The crew was flying an instrument landing system (ILS) approach and had been cleared to land, the airline says. Although there was fog and a 330ft (100m) cloudbase, other aircraft, including a Fokker 50, had landed with no problems and there had been no diversions because of weather. It was daylight, 10:10 local time, the temperature and dew point were 4°C (39°F), and although icing has not been ruled out, there is no evidence it was the cause. Within a few feet of hitting the ground, with gear down, the Fokker 50 crossed a road and hit a bank more than 3ft high.
The aircraft was fitted with a ground proximity warning system, says Luxair, and the airframe had undergone heavy maintenance a few days earlier. This is the Luxembourg flag carrier's first fatal accident.
Source: Flight International
