Nepalese investigators have revealed that the operator of the Bombardier CRJ200 involved in a fatal take-off accident at Kathmandu was not complying with aircraft loading requirements before the crash.
Weight and balance of the Saurya Airlines jet before the 23 July flight are among the aspects of the inquiry highlighted for further scrutiny by the Nepalese government’s aircraft accident investigation commission.
Flight-data recorder analysis has indicated that the aircraft experienced an “unusually high” pitch rate – up to 8.6°/s – during rotation from Kathmandu’s runway 02, far above the typical 3°/s.
Almost immediately after rotation, the aircraft began to oscillate – its right wing dipped, before it rolled to left-wing down, and then banked 94.6° to the right, descending from about 130ft to strike the ground with its right wing.
The jet was airborne for about 15s, the inquiry indicates, with both stick-shakers activating “multiple times” from around 3s after lift-off.
Only the captain survived from among the three crew members and 16 passengers.
The CRJ200, which had remained grounded for 34 days before the flight, was being ferried from Kathmandu to Pokhara in order to undergo base maintenance.
Investigators state that the loadsheet listed a take-off weight of 18.1t including baggage weight of 600kg. The jet had 2t of fuel on board.
The location of the centre-of-gravity was 20% of mean aerodynamic chord. “Review and analysis of information on load and trim sheet is ongoing,” says the inquiry, in preliminary findings.
But it adds that an inspection of the crash site, and interviews with Saurya ground personnel, have revealed that the operator was “not complying” with requirements for aircraft load weighing, loading, and securing of load.
Investigators have issued an interim safety recommendation stating that all operators must adhere to cargo and baggage-handling requirements, including those involving weighing, distributing and latching.
While the aircraft’s V1 and rotation speeds were respectively given as 114kt and 118kt, the inquiry says take-off speeds listed in the flight’s documentation, and those captured by the flight-data recorder, were “inconsistent” with data in the quick-reference handbook.
“The interpolated speedcard of the operator for 18,500kg [take-off weight] mentions incorrect V-speeds for take-off,” it adds.
Surveillance cameras captured the aircraft (9N-AME) during taxi and showed flaps at their take-off setting. The inquiry also says data from the GE Aerospace CF34 engines shows “no abnormalities” in their performance.
Investigators add that the procedure to issue permission for the ferry flight was “not adequate”, because records “did not show completeness and compliance” with the civil aviation authority’s procedure manual for allowing such flights.
