AAIB report Stansted cargo flight problem
10.05.08
A cargo plane narrowly escaped disaster when three out of its four engines failed after it took off from Stansted Airport, the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) reports. It says that the aircraft's manual had no procedures for multiple propeller malfunctions and the pilot struggled to read his checklist in the dark as the plane began pitching and rolling.
The Lockheed aircraft, with a 38-year-old commander, co-pilot and engineer on board, was on night flight from the airport to Edinburgh, carrying freight. It left the runway at 23:50 and climbed towards 3000ft when one of the engines started to fail. The remaining three engines began fluctuating and the plane started to pitch and roll erratically, forcing the pilot to return and land.
The crew returned to the airport on three engines, but just as they approached, two more ‘flamed out’. In a bid to prevent disaster the pilot increased power on the remaining engine to maximum. With the emergency lights flashing and speed dropping off dramatically, the plane touched down.
The incident was reported in a bulletin just published by the Air Accident Investigation Branch.
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