Date:	Wednesday 20 November 1974
Time:	07:54
Type:	Boeing 747-130
Owner/operator:	Lufthansa
Registration:	D-ABYB
MSN:	19747/29
Year of manufacture:	1970
Total airframe hrs:	16781 hours
Engine model:	P&W JT9D-7
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 59 / Occupants: 157
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed, written off
Category:	Accident
Location:	Nairobi International Airport (NBO) -   Kenya
Phase:	Take off
Nature:	Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:	Nairobi International Airport (NBO/HKNA)
Destination airport:	Johannesburg International Airport (JNB/FAJS)
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
Lufthansa flight 540, a Boeing 747-100, crashed during takeoff from Nairobi International Airport, Kenya, killing 59 occupants; 98 survived the accident. This was the first fatal Boeing 747 accident.

Boeing 747 D-ABYB was taking off for the last leg of the Frankfurt (FRA) - Nairobi (NBO) - Johannesburg (JNB) flight when the crew felt vibration or buffeting following lift off. The captain, suspecting wheel imbalance, raised the gear. A lack of acceleration forced the crew to lower the nose in order to maintain airspeed. The Boeing continued to descend however and contacted the ground 1120 m past the end of runway 24 and struck an elevated road 114 m further on. The aircraft broke up and caught fire before coming to rest 454 m past the initial point of impact.

PROBABLE CAUSE: "The accident was caused by the crew initiating a take-off with the leading edge flaps retracted because the pneumatic system which operates them had not been switched on. This resulted in the aircraft becoming airborne in a partially stalled condition which the pilots did not identify in the short time available to them for recovery. Major contributory factors were the lack of warning of a critical condition of leading edge flap position and the failure of the crew to complete satisfactorily their checklist items."

Flight International 28 August 1976 (481)
ICAO Circular 132-AN/93 (181-194)

photo (c) Werner Fischdick; Frankfurt International Airport (FRA); 31 August 1974

photo (c) via Dirk Noldt

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
15-Oct-2024 18:47	ASN	Updated [Narrative, ]
15-Oct-2024 18:48	ASN	Updated [Narrative, ]