Page 25 - AAA NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2016 Online Magazine

FEATURE AVIATION SAFETY

is certified on 12 widebody aircraft models. In- manufactured in 2003 and powered by two The report also makes a note on
service engines have accumulated more than Rolls-Royce Trent 892 turbofans. According passenger behaviour after the crash,
200 million flight hours in service. It has also to the preliminary report released by the passengers started to unfasten their
received 180-minute ETOPS approval on the AAIS, five seconds prior to touchdown, seatbelts and stand up when the aircraft
Boeing 767. the wind direction started to change to a impacted and slid along the runway, as per the
headwind. “The weight-on-wheels sensors observations of the crew members. “When
Runway Impact During indicated that the right main landing gear the Aircraft came to rest, some passengers
Attempted Go-Around: Emirates touched down at 0837:17, approximately 1,100 were screaming, grabbing their belongings,
EK521 meters from the runway 12L threshold at 162 and asking the cabin crewmembers to open
The Air Accident Investigation Sector (AAIS) knots IAS, followed three seconds later by the doors.” The report also says that despite
of the United Arab Emirates is presently the left main landing gear (the nose gear instructions from the cabin crewmembers to
investigating the accident caused by the remained in the air).” The Aircraft reached a leave their bags behind, several passengers
runway impact that took place when the maximum height of approximately 85 feet evacuated the aircraft carrying their
crew of Emirates EK 521 attempted a ‘Go- RA at 134 knots IAS, with the landing gear in baggage. Footage of the evacuation showed
Around’ after touchdown. The preliminary transit to the retracted position, before it several passengers trying to collect their
report was released on September 5. The began to lose altitude and speed and sink baggage. Footage of other recent passenger
accident which resulted in a total loss of back onto the runway. The aft fuselage evacuations from aircraft has also shown
the Boeing 777-300 jetliner took place on of the jetliner crashed into the runway at passengers evacuating the aircraft with
August 3, when flight EK521 was landing at 0837:38, at a speed of 125 knots, with a their bags. It is important that airlines
Dubai International Airport after departing nose-up pitch angle of 9.5 degrees. The rate work harder to sensitise passengers on the
from Trivandrum International Airport, India. of decent just prior to the crash was 900 enormous risks of any delay in evacuating an
The jetliner impacted the runway during an feet per minute and all three landing gears aircraft in emergency situations that could
attempted go-around at Dubai, with 300 were still in transit to the retracted position. lead to loss of life or limb.
souls on board (282 passengers, 16 cabin Immediately after the crash, the No.2
crew and two flight crew). The aircraft was engine-pylon assembly separated from the ABOVE: Image released by Air
destroyed due to impact and subsequent right hand (RH) wing as the aircraft careened Accident Investigation Sector
fire. The sole fatality was a firefighter who along the runway; also, leading to an intense (AAIS) of the United Arab
Emirates on the runway impact
was near the aircraft when the central fuel fuel fed fire near the damaged No.2 engine- during attempted go-around of
tank exploded. The Boeing 777-300 was pylon wing attachment area Emirates EK521
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