Andrea Spinelli/GENOA Paul Duffy/MOSCOW
THE TWO PILOTS of an Aeroflot Russian International Airlines (ARIA)-operated Antonov An-124 were killed, along with at least two people on the ground, when the aircraft crashed into houses short of the runway while attempting to land at Turin's Caselle Airport, Italy, on 8 October.
During an attempted go-around, the An-124 hit a rooftop, which ripped off its left landing gear and part of the tail-plane and then hit the ground and crashed into other buildings. Early information indicates that the two pilots were the only people who died among the giant cargo aircraft's "crew" of 24.
Airport sources say that the accident occurred when the crew was carrying out a localiser-only instrument-landing-system (ILS) approach to runway 36, using Caselle's distance-measuring-equipment (DME) beacon to monitor glide-path progress.
Wind was calm, visibility 2,000m (6,500ft), with runway visual range 1,500m in light rain, cloud-base 300m, QNH altimeter setting 1,013mb (standard pressure setting, which reduces the likelihood of altimeter-setting error).
The ILS glide-path was officially notified inoperative, as was the first 300m of the 3,300m runway, because work is in progress to upgrade the runway lighting. Caselle's air-traffic-control radar was working. Airport sources confirm that the aircraft was on the runway's extended centre-line, but the crew decided that the aircraft was flying too high and fast and initiated a go-around. If that report is accurate, the investigators will be looking for what caused the aircraft to drop down below the normal approach path. The aircraft was found with its flaps at the take-off setting.
The aircraft (RA-82069) was leased by ARIA from owner Moscow-based Ayaks Cargo, and it was being ferried empty from Moscow to Turin by ARIA to pick up a cargo of Italian luxury cars for the Middle-Eastern market.
Source: Flight International
