1994 A330 test flight crash
Encyclopedia
The 1994 A330 test flight crash occurred on when an Airbus A330-300, registration
F-WWKH, crashed at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport while undergoing performance tests. It was the first fatal accident involving an Airbus A330 as well as the first hull-loss of the type. It remained the only fatal accident involving an A330 until the crash of Air France Flight 447
on .
near its aft limit. Tons of water were carried in bladders in the rear of the aircraft's cabin to move the center of gravity to the desired position. The particular test that led to the crash was a simulated engine failure after takeoff, which meant shutting down one of the aircraft's Pratt & Whitney PW4000
engines and switching off a hydraulic circuit
. During the test, the aircraft's autopilot
would also be set to fly the plane to an altitude of 2000 feet (609.6 m).
employees and two were Alitalia
employees selected to observe the A330, which the company was considering buying.
Crew
Passengers
Aircraft registration
An aircraft registration is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies a civil aircraft, in similar fashion to a licence plate on an automobile...
F-WWKH, crashed at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport while undergoing performance tests. It was the first fatal accident involving an Airbus A330 as well as the first hull-loss of the type. It remained the only fatal accident involving an A330 until the crash of Air France Flight 447
Air France Flight 447
Air France Flight 447 was a scheduled airline flight from Rio de Janeiro-Galeão to Paris-Roissy involving an Airbus A330-200 aircraft that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on 1 June 2009, killing all 216 passengers and 12 aircrew. The investigation is still ongoing, and the cause of the...
on .
Background
The objective of the flight was to test the performance of the aircraft with the center of gravityCenter of mass
In physics, the center of mass or barycenter of a system is the average location of all of its mass. In the case of a rigid body, the position of the center of mass is fixed in relation to the body...
near its aft limit. Tons of water were carried in bladders in the rear of the aircraft's cabin to move the center of gravity to the desired position. The particular test that led to the crash was a simulated engine failure after takeoff, which meant shutting down one of the aircraft's Pratt & Whitney PW4000
Pratt & Whitney PW4000
|-See also:-External links:* * *...
engines and switching off a hydraulic circuit
Hydraulic drive system
A hydraulic drive system is a drive or transmission system that uses pressurized hydraulic fluid to drive hydraulic machinery. The term hydrostatic refers to the transfer of energy from flow and pressure, not from the kinetic energy of the flow....
. During the test, the aircraft's autopilot
Autopilot
An autopilot is a mechanical, electrical, or hydraulic system used to guide a vehicle without assistance from a human being. An autopilot can refer specifically to aircraft, self-steering gear for boats, or auto guidance of space craft and missiles...
would also be set to fly the plane to an altitude of 2000 feet (609.6 m).
Crash
The aircraft had just successfully completed a landing in extreme weather conditions and was in the process of completing a takeoff in the same conditions. The aircraft was flown by the co-pilot, while the actions to shut off the engine and hydraulic circuit, and engage the autopilot, were to be carried out by the captain. The takeoff was completed successfully and the captain shut off the engine and hydraulic circuit. A problem arose with the autopilot, as it took three attempts to engage. When the autopilot finally engaged, the aircraft started to ascend to 2000 ft. However, the aircraft rose too sharply and began losing speed. The speed decreased to 100 kn (121.8 mph; 196 km/h), but the minimum speed for controlling the aircraft is 118 knots. The aircraft started to roll so the crew reduced power to the operating engine to reduce the thrust asymmetry; however, this made the problem worse and the aircraft pitched down by 15 degrees and shortly afterwards crashed into the ground.Crew
Onboard were three crew and four passengers. Two of the passengers were AirbusAirbus
Airbus SAS is an aircraft manufacturing subsidiary of EADS, a European aerospace company. Based in Blagnac, France, surburb of Toulouse, and with significant activity across Europe, the company produces around half of the world's jet airliners....
employees and two were Alitalia
Alitalia
Alitalia - Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A. , in its later stages known as Alitalia - Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A. in Extraordinary Administration, was the former Italian flag carrier...
employees selected to observe the A330, which the company was considering buying.
Crew
- Nicholas Warner (born June 7, 1943 in ColchesterColchesterColchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
), chief test pilot and captain. 7,713 flying hours experience. - Michel Cais (born November 4, 1940 in ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
), co-pilot. 9,558 flying hours experience. - Jean Pierre Petit (born August 23, 1943 in Boulogne-sur-MerBoulogne-sur-Mer-Road:* Metropolitan bus services are operated by the TCRB* Coach services to Calais and Dunkerque* A16 motorway-Rail:* The main railway station is Gare de Boulogne-Ville and located in the south of the city....
, France), engineer. 6,225 flying hours experience.
Passengers
- Alberto NassettiAlberto NassettiAlberto Nassetti was an Italian aviator.- Career :After graduating the Francesco De Pinedo technical and aeronautical institute of Rome, Alberto joined the Italian airline Alitalia, where he flew the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 and the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 on medium haul routes...
, Alitalia employee (pilot). - Pier Paolo Racchetti, Alitalia employee (pilot).
- Philippe Tournoux, Airbus employee.
- Keith Hulse, Airbus employee.
External links
- Preliminary Report - Commission of Inquiry
