Passengers 0 Aircraft name (previously Waterberg) Passenger count 0 | Aircraft type Boeing 747-200F Date 14 October 2004 Fatalities 7 (all) Crew count 7 | |
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Summary Pilot error due to inadequate company-related management of aircraft Registration 9G-MKJ (Previously ZS-SAR) Similar Air Tahoma Flight 185, Kish Air Flight 7170, Rico Linhas Aéreas Fl, Pinnacle Airlines Flight 3701, Corporate Airlines Flight 5966 | ||
MK Airlines Flight 1602 was a MK Airlines Boeing 747-200F cargo flight on a flight from Halifax Stanfield International Airport, Nova Scotia, Canada to Zaragoza Airport, Spain. It crashed on take-off killing the crew of 7.
Contents
Incident
The jet lifted off from Halifax, but struck the ground shortly beyond the runway. Following lift-off the tail of the jet bounced twice off the tarmac near the end of the runway and separated from the plane when it hit a mound of earth 300 metres beyond the end of the runway. The plane then headed forwards in a straight line, breaking into pieces.
Rescue
Over 80 firefighters and 20 pieces of apparatus from Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency responded to the call.
Investigation
An investigation into the crash revealed that the flight crew had used the incorrect speeds and thrust setting during the take-off attempt, with incorrect take-off data being calculated when preparing the flight (incorrect V speed calculation, as the result of the crew re-using a lighter take-off weight of 240,000 kg from the aircraft's previous take-off at Bradley, instead of the correct weight of 353,000 kg). The official report blamed the company for serious non-conformances to flight and duty time, with no regulations or company rules governing maximum duty periods for loadmasters and ground engineers, resulting in increased potential for fatigue-induced errors.
MK Airlines disputed the findings, citing the fact that the cockpit voice recorder was too heavily damaged in the post-crash fire to yield any information. [1]