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| Date: | Friday 26 June 1998 |
| Time: | c. 23:03 LT |
| Type: |  Airbus A320-231 |
| Owner/operator: | Air 2000, opb First Choice Airways |
| Registration: | G-OOAB |
| MSN: | 292 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1992 |
| Engine model: | IAE V2500-A1 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 186 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Location: | Bristol Airport (BRS/EGGD) -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Bristol Airport (BRS/EGGD) |
| Heraklion International Airport (HER/LGIR) | |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The commander was at home on standby when he was requested to report for a flight to Heraklion
because the first officer scheduled for the trip was unwell. The airline has a policy of qualifying all
its Captains to operate as non-handling pilot in the co-pilot's seat once they have been 'on the line'
for six months. If they occupy the right hand-seat but are not qualified as a training Captain, then
Captains are not permitted to act as handling pilot except in an emergency. Consequently, the
commander expected to operate as a non-handling co-pilot for both legs but, because it was going
to be a 'long night', the Captain scheduled to command both flights offered to share the flying. This
was to be achieved without infringing company policy by exchanging seats for the return flight and
the Captain who was on standby was offered the choice of outbound or inbound sector. He chose
the outbound sector and thus became the commander for that sector.
The aircraft was full and loaded to 73.1 tonnes for a CONFIG 3 take-off (slats 22° flaps 20°) from
Runway 27. The weather was: wind 210°/9 kt, visibility 30 km, cloud scattered at 300 feet and
broken at 500 feet with QNH 1006 mb. The take-off speeds of V1 127 kt and VR/V2 of 139 kt were
calculated and set for a TOGA (full power) take off. The take-off roll was normal and these speeds
were called by the Captain who was acting as co-pilot. The commander rotated the aircraft and
shortly afterwards felt a bump. At first, both pilots thought that the rotation rate had been normal
and that they had encountered turbulence but within a minute the senior cabin crew member made
her way to the flight deck. She reported that the cabin crew at the rear of the aircraft were
convinced that the tail had struck the runway on take-off because they heard and felt the impact.
The Captain performing the co-pilot's role suggested that they ought to return to Bristol to have the
aircraft checked for damage and the commander agreed. The APU was started and the aircraft was
vectored for a radar intercept for the ILS to Runway 27. Passenger briefings and the approach
briefing were carried out on the downwind leg and the overweight landing checklist was carried
out. The commander handled the aircraft using the autopilot until late finals when he took manual
control and executed a gentle landing at 2315 hrs. Full reverse thrust and wheel braking were used
to stop the aircraft on the wet runway without undue difficulty. When the damage was assessed the
crew cancelled the flight. The passengers were flown to Heraklion in another aircraft by a different
crew.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5422feebe5274a1314000979/dft_avsafety_pdf_500631.pdf
https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/6152666 (Photo)
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 28 November 1993 | G-OOAB | Air 2000 | 0 | Bristol Airport (BRS/EGGD) | |
min |
| Collision with Ground support equipment | ||||||
| 18 April 1998 | G-OOAB | Air 2000, opb First Choice Airways | 0 | near Tel Aviv-Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV/LLBG) |  |
non |
| Electrical system problem | ||||||
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Sep-2025 18:33 | Justanormalperson | Added |
| 28-Sep-2025 18:33 | Justanormalperson | Updated [Accident report, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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