Preliminary investigation on the fatal Hong Kong flight crash that happened last month found that an engine accelerated after landing, according to Hong Kong’s Air Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA). A cargo plane operated by Turkish-based ACT Airlines on behalf of Emirates lost control while landing at Hong Kong International Airport, killing two workers on the runway.
Preliminary report findings:
A preliminary report from AAIA released on Tuesday revealed the reasons behind the cargo plane crash in October at Hong Kong International Airport. The investigation is being conducted with a panel that includes experts from “the Turkish Transport Safety Investigation Centre (representing the country of registration and operator), the US National Transportation Safety Board (representing the country of design and manufacture of the aircraft involved), and the consultant Boeing Company (representing the manufacturer of the aircraft involved). The crew has also been very cooperative with the investigation,” the Civil Aviation Authority said in a Facebook post.
According to the report, the thrust reverser on engine 4, one of four engines, was inoperative, which is acceptable under aviation rules. The captain of the aircraft took over the control from the first officer, who had flown the flight, because the aircraft’s automatic braking system disengaged while landing.
Seconds later, engine 4, the engine where the thrust reverser was not working, accelerated to 90% thrust and reached 106% to 107% thrust in 12 seconds.
The other three thrust reversers were activated after that, which made the captain lose control, and the aircraft left the runway to make it to the nearby sea before hitting the vehicle where two workers were present.
Aftermath of the accident:
This accident was reported as the deadliest accident in Hong Kong International Airport in more than 25 years.
All four crew members in the aircraft escaped without any injuries. The plane was destroyed completely, with the tail of the aircraft separated from the aircraft on impact. The investigation is still ongoing.
AAIA is investigating to get further evidence on the circumstances and causes of the accident. The investigation will also determine what caused the no.4 thrust pod to be in full thrust position and whether there were issues that caused it to get out of control, including the possibility of a technical failure.
The authority, in the post, said (translated to English):
“The Civil Aviation Accident Investigation Agency has removed the thrust valve panel and related modules and sent them to the aircraft manufacturer for detailed analysis to determine whether there are any technical problems with the electrical or mechanical aspects, etc.
In the next phase, as more in-depth investigation is conducted, the Civil Aviation Accident Investigation Agency will collect more data and perform detailed analysis, focusing on technical issues related to aircraft systems and performance, engineering issues and maintenance records of aircraft systems, operational issues related to crew qualifications and experience, human factors issues, and safety management system issues. Although investigations of the same size usually take years, the Civil Aviation Accident Investigation Agency aims to complete a full report within a year.”
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