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| Date: | Wednesday 23 July 2003 |
| Time: | 18:49 LT |
| Type: |  Boeing 737-3Q8 (QC) |
| Owner/operator: | Íslandsflug |
| Registration: | TF-ELN |
| MSN: | 23766/1375 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1987 |
| Engine model: | CFMI CFM56-3 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 5 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | None |
| Category: | Incident |
| Location: | Keflavík International Airport (KEF/BIKF) -
 Iceland
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Cargo |
| Departure airport: | Keflavík International Airport (KEF/BIKF) |
| Edinburgh-Turnhouse Airport (EDI/EGPH) | |
| Investigating agency: | RNF |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On July 23, 2003, employees of Keflavík Airport Aviation Services (IGS) were preparing the departure of an Íslandsflug hf aircraft, TF-ELN, for a cargo flight from Keflavík to Edinburgh and Brussels. The aircraft had arrived at Keflavík Airport shortly before from Reykjavík Airport, where it had been undergoing maintenance and inspection.
The plane was scheduled to depart at 18:00. When the loading officer who was supposed to be in charge of loading it arrived on duty at 17:30, the loading information was not available at the IGS loading department (also called loading control), which prepares data on aircraft loading, including loading lists. According to the loading officer, it is common for goods for this flight to arrive late, which causes the loading of the plane to be done under time pressure. At 17:50, the loading officer received the loading figures for the flight and then began loading the plane. The form that the loading officer received from the loading department this time was a form used to record preliminary information about the loading of the plane, and such forms are filled out to speed up the preparation of the loading before the final information is available.
The aircraft was loaded in a conventional manner according to the cargo manager, but according to him, it was raining heavily while the loading was taking place. A high loader was used to lift the cargo pallets up and into the aircraft's cargo door where they were placed in accordance with the instructions given by the cargo manager. After loading, the lift was driven away from the aircraft, the aircraft doors were closed, and other preparations for departure were completed. The crew had then received a loading schedule from the loading department and determined the decision speed (V1), lift speed (VR), and safety speed (V2) for takeoff. The elevator control lever was set in accordance with the loading schedule (see Appendix 4.1). At around 18:30, the aircraft was ready for departure and its engines were started and it was taxied to the runway 29 position at Keflavík Airport.
The takeoff run of TF-ELN was initiated at 18:49 and was initially normal in the opinion of the pilot. When the lift speed (VR) was reached and the pilot attempted to direct the nose of the aircraft up for takeoff by taking control again, its nose did not lift. The aircraft did not lift off the runway until the crew had taken control much later than is usual in their opinion and after the elevator stick setting had been moved back. At that time, the aircraft would have been at a speed of about 20 knots higher than the safe takeoff speed (V2). After takeoff, the pilot decided to continue the flight to Edinburgh rather than turn around and land back at Keflavík Airport, as he believed that the aircraft was considerably heavier than the load list stated. The aircraft then made a normal landing at Edinburgh Airport at 20:53.
After landing in Edinburgh, the captain requested that the aircraft's cargo be weighed during unloading so that the weight and distribution of the cargo could be compared with the information on the loading list. It was then discovered that the aircraft's loading was significantly different from that stated on the loading list.
Accident investigation:
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|
Sources:
https://www.rnsa.is/media/1449/m-03903_aig-23_flugatvik_tf-eln_a_keflavikurflugvelli_23.pdf
https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/116728 (Photo)
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 31 December 2003 | TF-ELN | Íslandsflug | 0 | Reykjavík Domestic Airport (RKV/BIRK) | |
non |
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 18-Apr-2025 12:18 | Justanormalperson | Added |
| 18-Apr-2025 12:20 | ASN | Updated [Accident report, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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