ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 747-209F N704CK Brussel-Zaventem Airport (BRU)

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Status:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Date:	Sunday 25 May 2008
Time:	13:31
Type:	Boeing 747-209F
Operator:	Kalitta Air
Registration:	N704CK
MSN:	22299/462
First flight:	1980-07-11 (27 years 11 months)
Total airframe hrs:	108560
Cycles:	20599
Engines:	4 Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7Q
Crew:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4
Passengers:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Total:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 5
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Aircraft fate:	Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:	Brussel-Zaventem Airport (BRU) ( Belgium)
Crash site elevation:	56 m (184 feet) amsl
Phase:	Takeoff (TOF)
Nature:	Cargo
Departure airport:	Brussel-Zaventem Airport (BRU/EBBR), Belgium
Destination airport:	Bahrain International Airport (BAH/OBBI), Bahrain
Flightnumber:	207

Narrative:
Kalitta Flight 207 was a cargo flight from New York-JFK to Bahrain (BAH) with a technical stop at Brussels (BRU). It carried 76 tonnes of cargo. The Boeing 747 was cleared for takeoff from runway 20 (a 9800 x 164 feet asphalt runway).
The initial phase of the takeoff run was uneventful. The speed increased under a constant acceleration until one of the engine experienced a momentary loss of power. This phenomenon was accompanied by a loud bang, heard by the crew and external witnesses, and by flames, seen from the control tower.
The bang and the loss of power occurred around V1 speed. Two seconds after the bang, all four engines were brought back to idle, and braking action was initiated. The thrust reversers were not deployed.
The aircraft came to a stop 300 m after the end of runway 20, above a railroad embankment. The aircraft was severely damaged; it broke in three parts.

Probable Cause:

CAUSE AND CONTRIBUTING FACTORS:
The accident was caused by the decision to Reject the Take-Off 12 knots after passing V1 speed.
The following factors contributed to the accident;
- Engine Nr 3 experienced a bird strike, causing it to stall. This phenomenon was accompanied by a loud bang, noticed by the crew.
- The aircraft line up at the B1 intersection although the take-off parameters were computed with the full length of the runway.
- The situational awareness of the crew,
- Less than maximum use of deceleration devices.
- Although the RESA conforms to the minimum ICAO requirement, it does not conform to the ICAO recommendation for length.

Accident investigation:

Investigating agency:	AAIU Belgium
Status:	Investigation completed
Duration:	1 year and 2 months
Accident number:	AAIU-2008-13
Download report:	Final report

Classification:

Bird strike
Rejected takeoff
Runway excursion (overrun)

Sources:

» SKYbrary

Follow-up / safety actions

AAIU Belgium issued 4 Safety Recommendations

Show all...

Photos

accident date: 25-05-2008
type: Boeing 747-209F
registration: N704CK

Video, social media

Aircraft history

date	registration	operator	remarks
11 JUL 1980	B-1894	China Airlines
	B-18752	China Airlines	new registration
10 SEP 2003	N704CK	Kalitta Air

Map

This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Brussel-Zaventem Airport to Bahrain International Airport as the crow flies is 4710 km (2944 miles).
Accident location: Exact; deduced from official accident report.

This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.

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Boeing 747

1574 built
47^th loss

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Belgium

46^th worst accident

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Issued: --	To: Kalitta Air	N704CK(1)
We recommend to modify the training program of the flight crew (initial and recurrent), and related documentation, to highlight the risks involved in rejecting TO around V1, as well as the importance of respecting procedures.
Issued: --	To: CAA Belgium	N704CK(2)
We recommend to extend the RESA of Runway 20 of EBBR to the length recommended by ICAO, either thru physical extension, or by the use of the EMAS system discussed in chapter 1.10, or by any other suitable means, and evaluate the need to apply this recommendation to other runways and Belgian airports.
Issued: --	To:	N704CK(3)
The Bird Control Unit of EBBR should be reinforced. o The leader of the BCU should be dedicated to the task. The function is currently held part-time by an airport inspector. o Training should be improved to involve all topics related to wild life in an airport environment; it is currently limited to get a hunting licence. The bird control methods are currently limited by general law on hunting. Dispersal by lethal method are therefore limited to determined time frame (hunting season), and prohibited for protected species such as the one having caused the bird strike. A request for a waiver on these requirements should be considered (as granted for other international airports, such as Schiphol).
Issued: --	To: Belgocontrol	N704CK(4)
The Aeronautical Information Publication issued by Belgocontrol did not formally required flight crew to notify the Tower when the use of the full length of runway 20 was required. For runway 25R, however, a dedicated sentence to that purpose was included.