PauknAir Flight 4101

PauknAir Flight 4101
Accident
Date 25 September 1998 (1998-09-25)
Summary Controlled flight into terrain
Site Boumahfouda, Morocco
Aircraft type British Aerospace 146
Operator PauknAir
Registration EC-GEO
Flight origin Málaga Airport
Destination Melilla Airport
Passengers 34
Crew 4
Fatalities 38
Survivors 0
PauknAir BAe 146

PauknAir Flight 4101 was a British Aerospace 146 that crashed on a flight from Málaga, Spain to the Spanish North African exclave of Melilla on 25 September 1998. All 38 passengers and crew on board the aircraft were killed in the accident.

The aircraft

The aircraft, a British Aerospace 146 series 100 (BAe 146-100), made its first flight in 1983 and was the seventh BAe 146 built. After the aircraft spent several years in storage, PauknAir became its second operator when the airline commenced operations in September 1995.[1]

Accident

The aircraft took off from runway 14 at Malaga's Pablo Ruiz Picasso Airport at 8:23 AM Spanish time on 25 September 1998. On board were 34 passengers and a crew of four. The flight proceeded normally, without any problems and with fair weather conditions.

The descent began at 8:41 Melilian time (6:41 Moroccan time). In the area of Cape Tres Forcas (the headland on which Melilla is situated), low visibility is common, as clouds accumulate between the valleys formed by the steep mountains of the cape. The descent continued in Instrument meteorological conditions. In communications with air traffic controllers, the pilot complained of the fog. Some of his last words were: "I see nothing"'.

At 6:49, there were two terrain awareness and warning system (TAWS, also known as GPWS) alerts of "terrain" in the cockpit, which indicates that the aircraft was too low. At 6:50, the aircraft impacted terrain at 886 feet elevation and broke up. The accident investigation concluded "Given the facts and analysis conducted, the Commission concluded that the accident was caused by a collision with terrain in IMC. This confirms the hypothesis put forward by members of the committee of investigation from the beginning of their investigations, it is a type of CFIT accident (Controlled Flight Into Terrain) due to a combination of several factors:

  • Non-application of the arrival procedure, including descending below the minimum safe altitude
  • Inadequate crew coordination
  • Non-application of company procedures regarding GPWS alarm."[2]

References

  1. ↑ History of BAe 146 c/no. 1007 retrieved 2010-05-30.
  2. ↑ Informe oficial del accidente

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