AN INITIAL investigation into an air crash that claimed the lives of six people at Cork Airport last month has not identified any mechanical problems with the aircraft prior to impact and will now continue by examining the experience of the flight crew.
An Air Accident Investigation Unit report into the incident, when a Manx2.com flight crashed while trying to land in heavy fog at Cork Airport on February 10th, has found no failures in the aircraft and no problems with the facilities at Cork.
According to the preliminary report, the factors that resulted in the loss of control of the 19-year-old Metro III are still being examined, with the engines and propellers being sent to specialist facilities for examination under supervision by investigation team members.
The experience of both flight crew members, Capt Jordi Sola Lopez (31) from Manresa in Spain and co-pilot Andrew Cantle (27) from Sunderland, who both died in the crash, is also being examined by the unit in its continuing investigation.
The report notes that Capt Lopez was newly promoted to captain while Mr Cantle had only recently joined the operation. The flight crew training, operational procedures and oversight of the crew are all being examined by the investigation unit for its complete report.
This initial report says the investigation, which will take months to complete, will also look at the issues of operational control and regulatory oversight between the ticket sellers, Manx2.com, the service operators, Flightline BCN and the aircraft’s owners, Air Lada of Seville.
The preliminary report notes the aircraft technical log indicates that it was the co-pilot, Mr Cantle, who was flying the aircraft from Belfast City Airport to Cork, with Capt Lopez acting as the “pilot non-flying” for the 50-minute flight.
The seven-page report confirms that the aircraft, with two crew and 10 passengers on board, made three attempts to land at Cork and was given a choice of runways by Cork approach control after being advised that fog had reduced visibility.
The aircraft, which was not equipped with an autopilot or flight director but had to be flown manually, began its first approach into Cork at 8.58am when visibility to the start of the main runway, R17, was reduced to 300m.
Although the aircraft was equipped with rudimentary category I landing equipment which required a decision to land to be made at 200ft, the flight recorder shows it continued on its approach, dropping to 101ft before pulling out of the attempted landing.
A second attempt was made to land but this was also aborted.
After waiting in a holding pattern for conditions to improve, a third attempt to land was made on the main runway, R17.
Visibility to the runway had improved to 550m by the time the aircraft approached the runway at 9.45am but at approximately 400ft, the aircraft deviated to the right of the runway centreline and power was reduced momentarily before being reapplied, the report noted.
Seven seconds before impact, a warning went off in the cockpit, and just below 100ft, Capt Lopez instructed Mr Cantle to go around again.
Mr Cantle acknowledged but the aircraft rolled to its left before rolling rapidly to the right, causing the right wingtip to touch the runway.
The aircraft’s wing hit the ground some 86m from the start of the runway and, within 25m, had turned over on its back
It travelled for 189m before coming to rest in the grass margin, when fire broke out, which was quickly extinguished by firefighters.
Last fateful 17 seconds
Bold: crew; Italic: on-board warning system and data recorders
17
Three hundred
15
Minimums, Minimums
13
"Ok, minimum
continue"- Pilot Non-Flying
11
Two hundred
10 "
Ok" - Pilot Flying
9 Engine power reduction
7 Engine power increase
7 Warning tone begins
5
One hundred
4 "
Go-around" - PNF
4 "
... round" - PF
4 Fifty
2 Forty
2
Crew exclamation
0 End of recording