NLM Cityhopper Flight 431
Encyclopedia
NLM CityHopper
Flight 431 refers to a Fokker F-28-4000, registration
PH-CHI, that was due to operate an international scheduled Rotterdam
–Eindhoven–Hamburg
passenger service. On , the aircraft encountered severe weather
on its flightpath
while en route its first leg, minutes after taking off from Rotterdam Airport
, and crashed. All 17 occupants of the aircraft —13 passengers and a crew
of 4— perished in the accident.
(UTC +1) from Rotterdam Airport. The crew noted heavy rain in thunderstorms on the airplane's weather avoidance radar at 5:09 p.m., receiving clearance to avoid the area. At 5:12 p.m. the aircraft entered a tornado
while flying through clouds. The weather system the aircraft entered into was apparently the same “tornado-like” system that Zeeland
locals described as the responsible for considerable property damage. Stresses experienced by the airframe owing to severe turbulence resulted in loads increasing to +6.8 g
and -3.2 g, and caused the stardboard wing to get detached. The aircraft spin
ned down into the ground from 3000 ft (914.4 m), crashing some 400 m (1,312.3 ft) from a Shell
chemical plant, near Moerdijk
. All 17 occupants of the aircraft —— perished in the accident. One person on the ground, an emergency responder, died of a heart attack.
s with 3/8 (37.5%) sky coverage of cumulonimbus at a base of 1200 feet (365 m), winds 210° at 15 - 25 knots (17 - 29 mph; 28 - 46 km/h), and 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) visibility at Rotterdam Airport.
NLM CityHopper
NLM CityHopper full name Nederlandse Luchtvaart Maatschappij, was a Dutch commuter airline, founded in 1966.-History:The carrier was formed as Nederlandse Luchtvaart Maatschappij in 1966...
Flight 431 refers to a Fokker F-28-4000, registration
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...
PH-CHI, that was due to operate an international scheduled Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
–Eindhoven–Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
passenger service. On , the aircraft encountered severe weather
Severe weather
Severe weather phenomena are weather conditions that are hazardous to human life and property.- Examples Include :Severe weather can occur under a variety of situations, but three characteristics are generally needed: a temperature or moisture boundary, moisture, and , instability in the...
on its flightpath
Flightpath
Flightpath is a digital-marketing agency located in New York City's Flatiron District. Jon Fox is the company’s founder and current CEO.-History:...
while en route its first leg, minutes after taking off from Rotterdam Airport
Rotterdam Airport
Rotterdam The Hague Airport , located north northwest of Rotterdam, is the Netherlands' third largest airport, coming after Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and Eindhoven Airport...
, and crashed. All 17 occupants of the aircraft —13 passengers and a crew
Aircrew
Aircrew are the personnel who operate an aircraft while in flight. The composition of the crew depends on the type of aircraft as well as the purpose of the flight.-Civilian:*Aviator** Pilot-in-command** First officer** Second officer** Third officer...
of 4— perished in the accident.
Description of the accident
The aircraft took off at 5:04 p.m. CETCentral European Time
Central European Time , used in most parts of the European Union, is a standard time that is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time . The time offset from UTC can be written as +01:00...
(UTC +1) from Rotterdam Airport. The crew noted heavy rain in thunderstorms on the airplane's weather avoidance radar at 5:09 p.m., receiving clearance to avoid the area. At 5:12 p.m. the aircraft entered a tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
while flying through clouds. The weather system the aircraft entered into was apparently the same “tornado-like” system that Zeeland
Zeeland
Zeeland , also called Zealand in English, is the westernmost province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the south-west of the country, consists of a number of islands and a strip bordering Belgium. Its capital is Middelburg. With a population of about 380,000, its area is about...
locals described as the responsible for considerable property damage. Stresses experienced by the airframe owing to severe turbulence resulted in loads increasing to +6.8 g
G-force
The g-force associated with an object is its acceleration relative to free-fall. This acceleration experienced by an object is due to the vector sum of non-gravitational forces acting on an object free to move. The accelerations that are not produced by gravity are termed proper accelerations, and...
and -3.2 g, and caused the stardboard wing to get detached. The aircraft spin
Spin (flight)
In aviation, a spin is an aggravated stall resulting in autorotation about the spin axis wherein the aircraft follows a corkscrew downward path. Spins can be entered intentionally or unintentionally, from any flight attitude and from practically any airspeed—all that is required is sufficient yaw...
ned down into the ground from 3000 ft (914.4 m), crashing some 400 m (1,312.3 ft) from a Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
chemical plant, near Moerdijk
Moerdijk
Moerdijk is a municipality and a town in the South of the Netherlands, in the province of North Brabant.- History :The municipality of Moerdijk was founded in 1997 following the merger of the municipalities of Fijnaart en Heijningen, Klundert, Standdaarbuiten, Willemstad and Zevenbergen. At that...
. All 17 occupants of the aircraft —— perished in the accident. One person on the ground, an emergency responder, died of a heart attack.
Weather
During the weather briefing 44 minutes before takeoff, the crew was apprised to an area of strong thunderstormThunderstorm
A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm, a lightning storm, thundershower or simply a storm is a form of weather characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere known as thunder. The meteorologically assigned cloud type associated with the...
s with 3/8 (37.5%) sky coverage of cumulonimbus at a base of 1200 feet (365 m), winds 210° at 15 - 25 knots (17 - 29 mph; 28 - 46 km/h), and 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) visibility at Rotterdam Airport.
Turbulence
The ICAO turbulence definitions, including the supplementary g loading – positive or negative, relative to the normal 1 g load, are:- Light - Changes in accelerometer readings less than 0.5g at the aircraft center of gravity.
- Moderate – 0.5 to 1.0 g – Occupants feel definite strains against seat belts. Food service and walking are difficult
- Severe – More than 1.0g – Aircraft may be out of control for short periods. Occupants are forced violent against seat belts. Food service and walking impossible
- The term "Extreme" is not used in Europe