Kazakhstan’s government has released an animation detailing the take-off sequence of the Bek Air Fokker 100 involved in a fatal accident at Almaty.
The sequence clearly shows the difficulties the crew experienced in controlling the aircraft as it rotated from runway 05R while departing for Nur-Sultan on 27 December.
It oscillates on lift-off but fails to gain altitude, striking the runway several times before overrunning and veering into a building.
Bek Air was grounded after the accident and has repeatedly appealed to authorities to allow the airline to restart operations.
The airline recently issued, extraordinarily, purported audio conversations between accident investigators and the first officer of the flight, who initially survived the accident but subsequently passed away on 28 January, shortly after the discussion.
Bek Air says the recordings were captured by the airline’s employees who were present at the time.
The transcript of the discussion includes question on how the crew checked the surface of the wings for ice, following suggestions that no check was conducted.
But the first officer apparently replies that he made a tactile check in three places, pointing out that he was able to check the front of the wing – which was “clean and dry” – more easily because he was taller than the captain.
He says the de-icing of the stabiliser – and only the stabiliser – was the captain’s decision, because it could not be checked from the ground.
The first officer also says that the aircraft was able to track the runway centreline during the departure but had passed the V1 decision speed when problems emerged, and the crew therefore did not consider aborting the take-off roll.
Control difficulties began, he says, after the nose-wheel lifted. He retracted the landing-gear, but only on the second attempt – and after a second call from the captain – because the aircraft was rolling sharply.
