• Home

Technical snag brought flight back from Bahrain

DUBAI — The distressed UPS Boeing 747 - 400 which crashed in Dubai on Friday evening had entered Bahrain airspace and returned after reporting a technical snag, according to the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), on Sunday. Smoke was reported from the cockpit and the pilots said they were unable to maintain altitude at 7.15pm local time.

They requested permission for landing and the UAE ATC Centre issued a clearance when the aircraft was approximately 40 kilometres from touchdown. But radar contact with the aircraft was lost at 7.42pm and it went down in an uninhabited area between Emirates Road and Al Ain Highway, almost 50 minutes after taking off from Dubai at 6.53. The plane was headed for Cologne in Germany.

The GCAA said the aircraft was at a high altitude of 8,500 feet, 24 kilometres from the landing area in Nad Al Sheba Military Camp.

‘‘The investigation team recovered the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) approximately six hours after the accident. The onsite GCAA investigation team is continuing the recovery effort to locate the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR), while investigating the aircraft structure, systems, engines and flight controls as part of the forensic evidence collecting and data capturing activities associated with major air accident investigation,’’ the GCAA statement said.

A team from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has arrived to assist the GCAA team in the crash investigation. Senior air safety investigator Bill English will head the investigations and his team include specialists in the areas of human performance, fire, operations and systems. The team will also include technical advisors from the FAA, Boeing, UPS, GE and the Independent Pilots Association. The team was designated by NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman.

The crash on Friday killed Captain Doug Lampe, 48, and First Officer Matthew Bell, 38, both Americans, the Atlanta-based package delivery company said.

Lampe has been with the UPS since 1995. Bell has been with the company since 2006. Both flew out of UPS’s Anchorage, Alaska, pilot base.

“This is a terrible tragedy, and all of us at UPS extend our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of both of these crew members,” UPS CEO Scott Davis said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers will continue to be with them during this difficult time.”

“We established an internal command center within minutes of learning of this tragedy. It will be staffed around the clock with experts from every part of our operation,” said UPS Airlines President Bob Lekites.

The plane, with tail number N571UP, was just three years old. It entered service with the cargo firm in September 2007 and had logged flying 9,977 hours, completing 1,764 takeoffs and landings. Maintenance was up-to-date and the last major inspection was done in June 2010.

The company owns 12 747-400s, eight of which are new, and four of which have been purchased from other carriers and adapted for UPS use. The aircraft has a payload capacity of nearly 258,600 pounds, and is used on long-range international routes, such as the regular Dubai-Cologne route.

— news@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE