US investigators are to assist the Chinese Government's inquiry into the fatal loss of a Boeing MD-11 freighter on take-off from Shanghai Pudong.
The airframe has been confirmed as Avient Aviation's newly-delivered MD-11F, Z-BAV, the first of the type for the carrier. It had received the tri-jet only about a week before the 28 November accident.
Among the jet's previous operators were Brazil's VarigLog and Korean Air. The aircraft was involved in a widely-publicised incident in January 2002 when, while in Korean Air service, it tipped rearwards and settled on its tail while being unloaded at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport.
Circumstances of the crash remain sketchy. The Civil Aviation Administration of China simply states that the aircraft "skidded off the runway". It is unclear whether it became airborne and there are unconfirmed reports that it experienced a tail-strike.
Meteorological data for Shanghai Pudong around the time of the accident show good visibility and no unusual weather conditions.
Although the aircraft was completely destroyed and suffered an intense fire, Avient says four of the seven personnel survived and were hospitalised.
It adds that the MD-11F was transporting "general consumer products" such as electrical goods and clothing. "At this time no facts have been ascertained to identify the reasons for the accident," says Avient.
In a statement the US National Transportation Safety Board says it is dispatching a team, led by Bill English, to support the Chinese investigation.
It will include advisers from the US FAA as well as representatives from Boeing and the MD-11F's engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
