Takeoff (climb)

Shortly after takeoff from Maputo Airport, while climbing, the engine n°3 failed, exploded and caught fire. Debris struck the engine n°4 and punctured the right wing and a fuel tank, causing a severe fire. The crew was cleared for an immediate return. Following a normal approach and landing, the aircraft was stopped on the main runway and all 66 occupants evacuated safely. The aircraft was considered as damaged beyond repair.

About two minutes after takeoff from San José-Tobías Bolaños Airport, while climbing, the twin engine aircraft went out of control and crashed in the district of Rohrmoser, about 3 km southeast of the airport. Both occupants were killed.

Shortly after takeoff, while in initial climb, the aircraft collided with a flock of birds. Both engines suffered a loss of power and the aircraft lost height and crash landed. It went out of control, overran and came to rest, bursting into flames. All four crew members escaped with minor injuries while the aircraft was destroyed by fire. At the time of the accident, wind was gusting up to 14 knots and several birds were sighted in the vicinity of the airport.

The pilot departed from an intersection 2,100 feet from the approach end of the 6,700 feet long runway. Immediately after takeoff the right engine failed. The pilot told the NTSB investigator-in-charge that he feathered the right propeller, and began a wide right turn away from terrain in an attempt to return to the airport. He stated the airspeed did not reach 90 knots, the airspeed and altitude slowly decayed, and the airplane was ditched into smooth water. After recovery, the cowl flaps were found in the 50% open position. No anomalies were found with the fuel system. The airplane departed with full fuel tanks, at a takeoff weight estimated at 6,606 pounds. The right engine was disassembled and no mechanical anomalies were noted. The best single engine rate of climb airspeed is 106 knots, based on cowl flaps closed, and a five degree bank into the operating engine.

While parked on the apron at Quito-Mariscal Sucre Airport, the crew started the engine when a pneumatic valve blocked. The problem was resolved and two engines were started with ground power unit while the third engine was started during taxi. During the takeoff roll on runway 17, at Vr speed, the pilot-in-command started the rotation but the aircraft failed to respond. For unknown reasons, the crew took 10 seconds to decide to abort the takeoff. The captain initiated an emergency braking procedure but the remaining distance of 800 metres was insufficient. Unable to stop, the aircraft overran, struck a concrete wall, an auto spare parts building and crashed near a soccer field, bursting into flames. Seventy people in the aircraft was well as 10 people on the ground were killed while 21 people in the airplane and 15 on the ground were injured, some seriously. At the time of the accident, the total weight of the aircraft was 73,309 kilos, within limits.

The airplane was dispatched as a cargo flight to pick up a load of 118 boxes of automotive seatbelts. After refueling and loading the cargo on board, the flight crew taxied to runway 22 for a no-flap takeoff, which called for a V1 speed of 141 knots. The first officer was the flying pilot for this leg of the flight. The crew reported that the initial takeoff roll from the 11,009 foot runway was normal. At approximately 120 knots, the flight crew reported hearing a loud bang followed by a vibration. The captain called for the first officer to abort the takeoff. The captain later stated that he believed he saw the #2 engine "roll back." The flight crew reported that the brakes were not effective in slowing the airplane. A witness stated that the airplane was going west on the runway at a high rate of speed when it "went up to two feet, then came back down." Another witness stated that he saw the airplane "exit off the end of the runway" and after about "seventy-five to one hundred feet, the front wheels lifted off the ground about ten feet." The airplane overran the departure end of the runway, went through the airport's chain link perimeter fence, across a 4-lane highway, collided with 3 vehicles on the roadway, and went through a second chain link fence, before coming to rest. The airplane came to rest on its belly, 2,010 feet from the departure threshold of runway 22. The investigation revealed that the flight crew was provided an inaccurate weight for the cargo, and the airplane was found to be 942 pounds over the maximum takeoff weight at the time of the accident. The density altitude was calculated to be 5,614 feet at the time of the accident. Both crewmembers were current and properly certified; however, the captain had upgraded to his present position two months prior to the accident, and the first officer had accumulated a total of 123.8 hours in the Falcon 20 at the time of the accident. Both engines were operated in a test cell and performed within limits. About 90% of the right outboard main landing gear tire's retread was found on the runway approximately 7,200 feet from where the aircraft had commenced its takeoff roll. The operator stated that since the aircraft was over maximum gross weight, the long taxi to the runway could have resulted in the brakes and tires heating more than normal.

Final power assurance checks were carried out on the aircraft’s engines on the morning of the accident. The AME (Aircraft Maintenance Engineer) trimmed the elevator-trim tab to the Full Nose UP position in order to reduce the stick forces required to hold the tail down during the engine power checks, but he did not set the elevator trim back to the neutral position on completion of the checks. The AME was requested by the pilot(s) to remove the aileron and elevator external gust locks and the landing gear down lock pins. He left the rudder lock in place, which was later removed by one of the pilots. The pilot(s) did not carry out a pre-flight inspection. At approximately 1646 on 24 August 1998 the DC3TP, registration number ZS-NKK, crashed during take-off from runway 11 at Wonderboom Airport. The PIC (Pilot-in-Command), who did not wear a shoulder harness, sustained fatal injuries and the co-pilot, who did wear a shoulder harness, serious injures. The accident occurred on the first flight after the aircraft had undergone a maintenance inspection, which included power assurance checks of the engines. The co-pilot sat in the left-hand seat and while he started the engines, the PIC attended to the cockpit checklist.

The aircraft was completing a cargo flight from Leticia to Girardot, carrying three passengers, three crew members and a load of five tons of fish. During the takeoff roll at Leticia-Alfredo Vásquez Cobo Airport runway 20, at Vr speed, the pilot-in-command started the rotation but the aircraft failed to respond. In such conditions, the captain decided to abort and initiated an emergency braking procedure. Unable to stop within the remaining distance, the aircraft overran and came to rest 80 metres further. All six occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Shortly after takeoff from Iquitos-Moronacocha Airport, while climbing, the single engine aircraft went out of control and crashed in the Moronacocha River bed. Both passengers escaped uninjured while both pilots were injured. The aircraft had also the civil registration OB-1167.

Surviving passengers reported that en route from Stewart Island to Invercargill there were symptoms of a righthand engine failure, which was corrected by the pilot's manipulation of floor-mounted fuel tank selectors. Shortly afterwards, both engines stopped. The pilot broadcast a Mayday and advised the passengers that they would be ditching. A successful ditching was carried out approximately 12 NM south of Invercargill. All occupants escaped from the aircraft, however, four persons exited without life jackets. The pilot entered the cabin but was unable to locate more before the aircraft sank. Rescuers reached the scene about an hour after the ditching only to find that all those without life jackets had perished, as had a young boy who was wearing one.