Narrative:
ASL Airlines Belgium flight 4437, a Boeing 737-400 cargo plane operated by Bluebird Cargo, collided with airport infrastructure during taxi at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG).
When the tow bar was disconnected after pushback, the aircraft moved and the crew attempted to brake several times without understanding why the braking system was not working even though the red light was on. With the nose gear lock pin and tow bar still in place, the trajectory was not controllable and the aircraft came to a stop after striking obstacles.
Contributing factors
The following factors contributed to the lack of hydraulic pressure in the braking systems at the time of disconnection from the tractor:
- The crew's misunderstanding of the meaning of the red light next to the parking brake handle;
- the failure of the crew to check the hydraulic system pressure indicators and the low pressure warning lights on the pumps;
- the operator's decision to simplify the manufacturer's procedure by systematically not pressurising system A, even when the locking pin is in place, and by not asking the crews to check that system B was actually pressurised.
Damaged on the ground
| Status: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
| Date: | Sunday 20 November 2022 |
| Time: | 21:32 |
| Type: |  Boeing 737-4Q8 (SF) |
| Operator: | Bluebird Cargo |
| On behalf of: | ASL Airlines Belgium |
| Registration: | TF-BBM |
| MSN: | 25376/2689 |
| First flight: | 1995-01-12 (27 years 11 months) |
| Engines: | 2 CFMI CFM56-3C1 |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Location: | Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) ( France)
|
| Phase: | Taxi (TXI) |
| Nature: | Cargo |
| Departure airport: | Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG/LFPG), France |
| Lisboa-Portela de Sacavém Airport (LIS/LPPT), Portugal | |
| Flightnumber: | 3V4437 |
ASL Airlines Belgium flight 4437, a Boeing 737-400 cargo plane operated by Bluebird Cargo, collided with airport infrastructure during taxi at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG).
When the tow bar was disconnected after pushback, the aircraft moved and the crew attempted to brake several times without understanding why the braking system was not working even though the red light was on. With the nose gear lock pin and tow bar still in place, the trajectory was not controllable and the aircraft came to a stop after striking obstacles.
Probable Cause:
Contributing factors
The following factors contributed to the lack of hydraulic pressure in the braking systems at the time of disconnection from the tractor:
- The crew's misunderstanding of the meaning of the red light next to the parking brake handle;
- the failure of the crew to check the hydraulic system pressure indicators and the low pressure warning lights on the pumps;
- the operator's decision to simplify the manufacturer's procedure by systematically not pressurising system A, even when the locking pin is in place, and by not asking the crews to check that system B was actually pressurised.
Accident investigation:
|
Classification:
Hydraulic system problem Damaged on the ground
Sources:
» BEAPhotos
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 Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport to Lisboa-Portela de Sacavém Airport as the crow flies is 1459 km (912 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.
Distance from Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport to Lisboa-Portela de Sacavém Airport as the crow flies is 1459 km (912 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.
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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