Hanover | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

After takeoff from Chania-Souda Airport, the crew reported technical problems with the right main gear that could not be raised properly in its wheel well. The captain decided to continue to Munich in a gear down configuration but the fuel consumption increased. En route, the crew realized he could not make it to Munich so diverted to Vienna-Schwechat Airport. At a distance of about 12 NM from the airport, at an altitude of 4,000 feet, both engines failed due to fuel exhaustion. One of the engine could be restarted for a short period of time but on short final, the aircraft stalled and struck the ground (a grassy area) about 500 metres short of runway 34. The left main gear broke off, the aircraft slid for some 600 metres then veered to the left and came to rest on its left wing. All 151 occupants were rescued, among them 26 passengers were slightly injured. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Probable cause:

Continuation of the flight with a landing gear problem until the engines failed due to fuel exhaustion.
The following findings were identified:
Crew:
- Failure to comply with the company's rules on fuel reserves, caused by several human factors, with extreme workload and stress being the important factor (loss of situational awareness).
- Determination of the fuel reserves using only the FMS, which, due to its characteristics did not take into account the additional fuel consumption.
- Failure to develop alternative strategies to curb the fuel problem.
- Failure to comply with a fuel warning (low fuel level warning) and decision to continue the flight to Vienna International Airport, although the plane was in the immediate vicinity of Zagreb Airport.
Manufacturer:
- Inadequate and misleading documentation (FMS scheme, altitude, terms) for this specific case, particularly in relation to the restriction of FMS.
Operator:
- Inadequate documentation for "abnormal landing gear up indication" of the abnormal checklist.
- Lack of review of the fuel needs by the Operations Division.
Contributing factors:
- Missing or inadequate preventive measures by manufacturers, approving authority and airlines following the previous publications of ICAO and EU DG VII about problems which, with the introduction of aircraft equipped with modern technologies, occurred and had been identified.
- Anthropo-technical construction deficiencies, which favour a misinterpretation of the FMS EFOB display.

Final Report:

Crash of a Partenavia P.68C-TC Victor in Kampenwand

Date & Time: Mar 13, 1995 at 0645 LT

Type of aircraft:

Partenavia P.68

Operator:

Registration:

D-GITY

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Munich - Hanover

MSN:

362-42-TC

YOM:

1985

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

While cruising by night, the pilot failed to realize his altitude was insufficient when the twin engine aircraft struck trees and crashed in a snow covered wooded area located in the Bavarian Alps, near Kampenwand. All five occupants were injured.

Crash of a Swearingen SA227AC Metro III in Kettwig: 21 killed

Date & Time: Feb 8, 1988 at 0758 LT

Type of aircraft:

Swearingen SA227 Metro III

Operator:

Registration:

D-CABB

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Hanover - Düsseldorf

MSN:

AC-500

YOM:

1982

Flight number:

NS108

Location:

Kettwig

North Rhine-Westphalia

Country:

Germany

Region:

Europe

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

2473

Captain / Total hours on type:

277.00

Copilot / Total flying hours:

2544

Copilot / Total hours on type:

1344

Aircraft flight hours:

9184

Circumstances:

The twin engine aircraft departed Hanover Airport at 0715LT on a schedule service to Düsseldorf Airport, carrying 19 passengers and a crew of two. Following an uneventful flight at FL140, the crew started the descent at 0739LT. After being cleared to descend to 3,000 feet, the crew was informed about thunderstorm activity in the area and ATC informed the crew about a possible alternate route to avoid the area. This offer was denied by the crew who continued the descent. While flying in thunderstorm activity, the aircraft became unstable due to turbulences and lightnings strikes near the aircraft. After the failure of the electrical system, the crew lost control of the airplane that entered a dive, partially disintegrated in the air and eventually crashed in an open field located about 2 km north of Kettwig, near the airport of Essen-Mülheim. All 21 occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

The accident was caused by the combination of the followings:
- The flight crew had continued into an area in which the occurrence of electrical discharge was to be expected, although avoiding the area would have been possible,
- The total electricity supply failed due to a lightning strike in significant instrument flight conditions, causing the failure of the cockpit- and instrument lighting and making it impossible to use the flaps and stabilizer trim,
- The plane had entered a largely uncontrolled flight after the power failure,
- The aircraft became overloaded during the uncontrolled flight aircraft during and disintegrated.
The following contributing factors were reported:
- The crew did not agree on the flight path in the area of the thunderstorm,
- The crew were not prepared for a lightning strike,
- The crew possibly became physically and mentally impaired for a short time after the lightning strike,
- The crew could not understand each other for a short time after a short power failure because they wore headsets,
- When the lightning struck, the plane was in an unstabilized flight condition with nose trimmed down and flaps half way down,
- The crew was not able to restore power, probably because of the damage in the electrical wiring,
- The crew did not have sufficient means for orientation in order to transfer the plane back from a predominantly uncontrolled flight to controlled flight.

Crash of a Beechcraft C90 King Air in Skien: 10 killed

Date & Time: Apr 2, 1987 at 1736 LT

Type of aircraft:

Beechcraft 90 King Air

Operator:

Scanex Air

Registration:

LN-KCR

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)

Survivors:

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Munich - Hanover - Skien - Oslo

MSN:

LJ-793

YOM:

1978

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

1858

Captain / Total hours on type:

331.00

Aircraft flight hours:

3617

Circumstances:

Following an uneventful flight from Hanover, the pilot started the approach to Skien-Geiteryggen Airport in marginal weather conditions. After crossing the last cloud layer, the twin engine was approaching runway 01 when, at an altitude of 100 feet, the aircraft banked right to an angle of 60° then nosed down and crashed few km from the runway threshold, bursting into flames. The aircraft was totally destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and all 10 occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

Due to the total destruction of the aircraft by impact forces and fire, the exact cause of the accident could not be determined with certainty. However, it is believed that icing conditions encountered from 3,000 to 5,000 feet may have affected the aircraft stability and controllability and thus, may be considered as a contributing factor.

Final Report:

Crash of an Armstrong Whitworth AW.38 Whitley V near Hanover

Date & Time: Nov 14, 1940 at 2300 LT

Type of aircraft:

Armstrong Whitworth AW.38 Whitley

Operator:

Registration:

P4936

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Linton-on-Ouse - Linton-on-Ouse

MSN:

1663

YOM:

1940

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed RAF Linton-on-Ouse at 1631LT on an operation to Berlin. While cruising at night, it was shot down by enemy fire and crashed near Hanover. All five crew members became PoW.
Crew:
F/Lt Anthony Zillwood Pengelly,
Sgt Clarence P. Followes,
Sgt Thomas Michie,
Sgt John Frederick Malcolm Moyle,
Sgt Harry Radley.

Probable cause:

Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of a Junkers JU.52/3mte in Hanover: 7 killed

Date & Time: Aug 30, 1939

Type of aircraft:

Junkers JU.52

Operator:

Registration:

D-AFOP

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Berlin – Hanover – Cologne – London

MSN:

5800

YOM:

1937

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Shortly after take off from Hanover Airport, the three engine aircraft named 'Karl Hochmuth' stalled and crashed. All seven occupants were killed.

Crash of a Boeing 247 in Hanover

Date & Time: Aug 13, 1937

Type of aircraft:

Boeing 247

Operator:

Registration:

D-AKIN

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Test

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Hanovre - Rechlin

MSN:

1944

YOM:

1935

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew (two pilots and one engineer) departed Hanover-Vahrenwald Airport on a test flight to Rechlin-Lärz Airfield. The purpose of the flight was to test an experimental autopilot system. The twin engine aircraft crashed while taking off and was damaged beyond repair. All three occupants were injured.

Crash of a Junkers JU.52/3m in Hanover

Date & Time: Nov 28, 1936 at 1822 LT

Type of aircraft:

Junkers JU.52

Operator:

Registration:

D-ATAK

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

London – Berlin

MSN:

5169

YOM:

1935

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

En route from Croydon to Berlin, the crew encountered severe icing conditions. The captain decided to divert to Hanover for a safe landing but on approach, he was forced to attempt and emergency landing. The three engine airplane named 'Marschall von Bieberstein' crash landed in an open field and came to rest, bursting into flames. All 15 occupants evacuated, among them seven were injured. The aircraft was destroyed by a post crash fire.

Probable cause:

Icing.

Crash of a Fokker F12 in Crawley: 2 killed

Date & Time: Nov 19, 1936 at 0338 LT

Type of aircraft:

Fokker F12

Operator:

Registration:

G-AEOT

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Postal (mail)

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Hanover – London

MSN:

5300

YOM:

1931

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

5000

Captain / Total hours on type:

2.00

Circumstances:

The aircraft was employed on the regular night mail service between Gatwick and Hanover and the crash occurred on the return flight from Hanover when the pilot was preparing to approach the vicinity of Gatwick Airport. The pilot Hattersley was, in fact, on his first ever return flight on this route with this type of aircraft, although he had flown the double journey four times previously in a DH.86. On the flight in question the pilot had been flying in cloud over most of the route and particularly over England. The weather conditions were bad with lots of low cloud at about 200 metres and there was a strong NE wind reaching as much as 60kn/h at ground level. The pilot navigated by means of W/T bearings sent from Croydon, Lympne, Pulham and Gatwick. Hattersley successfully brought the Fokker through cloud to the vicinity of the airport, and his engines were clearly heard from the ground. Control told him that they had heard him and sent a further five bearings in quick succession - no acknowledgement was received for the last bearing and the Fokker sent no further messages. Repeated attempts were made to communicate with G-AEOT but without success. Gatwick then telephoned every local police station in an endeavour to learn whether anyone had heard anything of the aircraft. A search party, including the airport ambulance and fire engine, set out. At 0610 the wireless operator (C.G.V. Wheeler) of the missing aircraft telephoned the control officer at Crawley and stated that the machine had crashed to the south of Crawley. The local ambulance was informed and it left immediately for the scene of the accident. G-AEOT had crashed into trees on Round Hill, 4 miles south of Gatwick Airport. It was upside down and extensively damaged, with the fuselage completely broken up. The flight engineer, G.R.C. Blowers, was lying injured on the ground near the machine, and Hattersley and the second pilot, V.C.W. Bredenkamp, were both dead in the wreckage.
Source: http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=925.0

Probable cause:

The AAIB Inquiry decided that the accident was caused by the pilot making an error of judgement in that he hadn't taken into account that the very strong NE wind would greatly widen his low altitude turn, causing the Fokker to drift off course and hit the high ground.

Crash of a De Havilland DH.86 Express in Altenkirchen: 2 killed

Date & Time: Aug 12, 1936 at 0300 LT

Type of aircraft:

De Havilland DH.86 Express

Operator:

Registration:

G-ADEB

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Postal (mail)

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Hanover – Cologne – London-Gatwick

MSN:

2324

YOM:

1935

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew was performing a night mail flight from Hanover to London-Gatwick with an intermediate stop in Cologne. In unknown circumstances, the four engine aircraft went out of control and crashed 50 km southeast of Cologne. Both crew members were killed.

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