You can contribute by submitting additional or updated information.
| Date: | Monday 4 July 2005 |
| Time: | 16:18 |
| Type: |  Lockheed L-1011 TriStar 500 (L-1011-385-3) |
| Owner/operator: | Star Jet |
| Registration: | A6-BSM |
| MSN: | 193G-1222 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 62758 hours |
| Cycles: | 20694 flights |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 246 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Minor, written off |
| Category: | Incident |
| Location: | Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG/LFPG) -
 France
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG/LFPG) |
| Athens-Elefthérios Venizélos International Airport (ATH/LGAV) | |
| Investigating agency: | BEA |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Olympic Airlines flight OA202, a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar 500 operated by Star Jet, suffered a no.3 engine failure on departure from Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG).
The aircraft had arrived at 11:10 at the ramp at Terminal 1 at CDG. It was fifty minutes late due to a repair that had to be carried out in Athens, its departure aerodrome.
Boarding started at 11:50 without the passengers being allocated seat numbers. Loading was completed by 12:20. Departure was delayed because the forward hold door was jammed open. At 13:00, the cabin doors were still not closed.
A mechanic from Star Jet hit the electric closing system of the hold door with a hammer and a chuck, apparently in an attempt to separate it from the structure so as to be able to close the hold door manually. Some passengers, tired of waiting without being given any information from the crew and worried about the apparent state of the cabin and the noise, got up and asked to disembark, and this led to a mass movement. Around 13:30, roughly half of the passengers left the plane. After some time, some of these passengers accepted to return to their seats, while others refused to get back onto the airplane. The crew obtained a new takeoff slot for 16:15. Re-boarding was complete by 15:45, and the airplane left its ramp position at 16:00, nearly five hours late. It took off at 16:17 from runway 27 L. The co-pilot was PF.
Shortly after the landing gear was retracted, the people on board the airplane heard a series of thumps. The crew noticed that the TGT on engine 3 was increasing (up to 80°C).
The passengers seated in several rows on the starboard side saw a flame at the rear of the engine. A wave of panic spread among certain passengers.
In the cockpit, the flight engineer called out severe damage to engine 3. The captain requested the SEVERE DAMAGE procedure and informed ATC that there was an engine failure and that he intended to return to the airport.
The crew managed the takeoff track in accordance with the procedure recommended by the manufacturer in the event of engine failure after V1 and shut down engine 3. This stopped the flames. They turned right heading to
090° in compliance with the instructions from ATC.
The captain took over the controls during the approach. ATC suggested a visual approach. The airplane landed on runway 27 L at around 16:29.
Causes of the Incident and Associated Risk Factors
a) The contained failure of engine 3 on take-off was the result of:
- a combination of three factors:
- the thermal stress and structural deformations on the engine associated with this phase of flight,
- wear on the compressor blades,
- damage to these blades caused by an object passing through the compressor.
- and also a systemic cause: the absence of adequate oversight of the airplane and maintenance operations by the operator.
b) The investigation revealed that the operation of this airplane did not meet the safety requirements stipulated in international regulations. This situation was the result of:
- serious deficiencies in the organisation and operation of the operator Star Jet;
- an inadequate oversight exercised by the States who were successively responsible as the State of the Operator and State of Registry;
- problems in the practical application of oversight due to the various geographic locations involved in the checking process and the changes occurring in the status of the operator and the airplane.
A probable contributing factor was the fact that the persons and organisations involved did not wish to penalise Star Jet’s commercial activity.
c) The airplane was allowed to operate in Europe, and in France in particular, for the following reasons:
- Olympic Airlines did not perform an actual check of the safety level of Star Jet before or during the charter period;
- the authorisation for the Star Jet charter was issued by the HCAA without checking the charter conditions.
A probable contributing factor was the fact that the persons and organisations involved did not wish to penalise Olympic Airlines’ commercial activity.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://bea.aero/en/investigation-reports/notified-events/detail/apres-un-embarquement-difficile-lavion-exploite-par-star-jet-et-affrete-en-location-avec-e/
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 25 November 1998 | 9Y-THA | BWIA Airways | 0 | London Heathrow Airport (LHR/EGLL) |  |
min |
| Wheel loss/failure | ||||||
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 13-Dec-2024 10:01 | FlyWolf | Added |
| 13-Dec-2024 10:09 | ASN | Updated [Location, Damage, Narrative, ] |
| 13-Dec-2024 10:11 | ASN | Updated [Damage, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2025 Flight Safety Foundation