Loss of control Accident Boeing 737-2T4 7T-VEZ,

ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 322875

Date:	Thursday 6 March 2003
Time:	15:15
Type:	Boeing 737-2T4
Owner/operator:	Air Algérie
Registration:	7T-VEZ
MSN:	22700/885
Year of manufacture:	1982
Total airframe hrs:	41472 hours
Cycles:	27184 flights
Engine model:	Pratt & Whitney JT8D-17A (HK3)
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 102 / Occupants: 103
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed, written off
Category:	Accident
Location:	Tamanrasset Airport (TMR) - Algeria
Phase:	Initial climb
Nature:	Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:	Tamanrasset-Aguemar Airport (TMR/DAAT)
Destination airport:	Ghardaïa-Noumérat Airport (GHA/DAUG)
Investigating agency:	CNE
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
Air Algérie flight 6289 originated in Tamanrasset and was bound for Algiers, with an intermediate stop at Ghardaia. Takeoff was commenced from runway 02 with the co-pilot acting as pilot-in-command. The aircraft rotated and at 15:14:52 the co-pilot ordered the gear to be raised. At that moment, at a height of 78 feet and a speed of 158 kts, the no. 1 engine suffered a turbine failure. The captain took over control of the airplane. Three seconds later the co-pilot asked if she should raise the gear, but the captain did not respond. The 737 lost speed and at 15:15:06 the speed had dropped to 134 kts. Height at that moment was 398 ft. The aircraft, named "Monts du Daia", stalled and crashed and broke up on rocky terrain about 1645 metres past the runway.

PROBABLE CAUSES: The accident was caused by the loss of an engine during a critical phase of flight, the non-retraction of the landing gear after the engine failure, and the Captain, the PNF, taking over control of the airplane before having clearly identified the problem.
The following factors probably contributed to the accident:
- the perfunctory flight preparation, which meant that the crew were not equipped to face the situation that occurred at a critical moment of the flight;
- the coincidence between the moment the failure occurred and the request to retract the landing gear;
- the speed of the event that left the crew little time to recover the situation;
- maintaining an inappropriate rate of climb, taking into account the failure of one engine;
- the absence of any teamwork after the engine failure, which led to a failure to detect and correct parameters related to the conduct of the flight (speed, rate of climb, configuration, etc.);
- the takeoff weight being close to the maximum with a high aerodrome altitude and high temperature;
- the rocky environment around the aerodrome, unsuitable for an emergency landing.

Accident investigation: