Aerosucre Flight 157 Explained

Image Upright:1.1
Occurrence Type:Accident
Summary:Crashed following runway overrun on takeoff and loss of control caused by overloading on cargo
Site:Germán Olano Airport, Puerto Carreño, Colombia
Coordinates:6.1873°N -67.5668°W
Aircraft Type:Boeing 727-200F
Operator:Aerosucre
Iata:6C157
Icao:KRE157
Callsign:AEROSUCRE 157
Tail Number:HK-4544
Origin:Germán Olano Airport, Puerto Carreño, Colombia
Destination:El Dorado International Airport, Bogotá, Colombia
Occupants:6
Crew:5
Passengers:1
Fatalities:5
Survivors:1

Aerosucre Flight 157 was a domestic cargo flight from Germán Olano Airport in Puerto Carreño, Colombia, to El Dorado International Airport, Bogotá. On 20 December 2016, the Boeing 727-2J0F operating the route overran the runway during takeoff, striking the perimeter fence and other obstacles before becoming airborne, ultimately losing control and crashing 4nmi from the airport. Of the six people on board, only one survived, with severe injuries.[1] [2]

The subsequent investigation found that a number of factors—including a takeoff weight in excess of the maximum permissible, an incorrect takeoff technique, and a slight tailwind—resulted in the failure of the aircraft to become airborne within the available runway length.[3]

Accident

The Boeing 727 arrived at Puerto Carreño on the day of the accident at 14:48 local time, after a cargo flight from Bogotá. The crew unloaded 20423lb of cargo. Although the weight and balance manifest of the accident flight was not found, investigators presumed that slightly less than 20000order=flipNaNorder=flip of cargo distributed on nine pallets was loaded for the return to Bogotá. The 727 then taxied onto Runway 25 threshold; the crew set the flaps at 30°, the plane was trimmed for takeoff, and the plane started its takeoff run at 17:18.

The 727 used all of the 1800m (5,900feet) runway, but was still not airborne. It traveled another over grass and struck a perimeter fence. It then crossed a road on the airport's perimeter, where numerous motorcyclists and pedestrians narrowly avoided being hit by the aircraft. After crossing the road, the 727 then collided with a shed, then a tree, before finally becoming airborne. The impact detached the right main landing gear from the aircraft, damaged the inboard right flap, caused engine 3 to lose power, and damaged one hydraulic system, causing it to leak. The aircraft achieved an altitude of, entered a slight right-hand descending turn, which completed a near 270° arc, and then impacted flat terrain, bursting into flames.[1] The accident was captured on video by some of the motorcyclists on the perimeter road the aircraft crossed.[4]

Aircraft and crew

The aircraft involved in the crash was a Boeing 727-200 registered HK-4544 with serial number 21105. It entered service in 1975, operating as a passenger aircraft for Air Jamaica until 1997. It was then converted into a cargo aircraft.[5] The aircraft began operating for Aerosucre in 2008.[6]

The captain was 58-year-old Jaime Cantillo, who had been with Aerosucre since 1997 and was licensed to fly the Boeing 727 in 2005. He had logged 8,708 flight hours, including 6,822 hours on the Boeing 727. The first officer was 39-year-old Mauricio Guzmán, who had been with the airline since 2008 and had 3,285 flight hours, all of which were on the Boeing 727. The flight engineer was 72-year-old Pedro Duarte, who joined Aerosucre in 2013 and had logged 1,612 flight hours, though his flight experience on the Boeing 727 was unknown.[7] [8]

Victims

The flight plan indicated five people aboard, but an undocumented sixth person was on the flight. Four died immediately and two survived the impact, but one of the survivors died later from injuries.[6] The sole survivor was flight technician Diego Armando Vargas Bravo.[9]

Investigation

The Colombian government's Air Accident Investigation Group (; GRIAA) concluded that three factors extended the aircraft's takeoff run by, resulting in a runway excursion that eventually led to the crash:

Furthermore, although initial calculations suggested the aircraft was operating within its weight limits, the investigators believe, based on the takeoff speeds used by the crew, that the aircraft was actually almost a tonne above its maximum permissible takeoff weight of 74.7t.[1] [3]

The investigation also determined that, following the loss of pressure in both main hydraulic systems caused by the impact with ground structures, the crew did not activate the standby hydraulic system, which would have enabled them to maintain control of the aircraft.[1]

The operator, Aerosucre, was found in breach of regulations, since Puerto Carreño airport was not approved for operations with the Boeing 727-200, and the Colombian civil aviation authority allowed this breach to continue for years through a lack of supervision.[1] [10]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Hradecky . Simon . Crash: Aerosucre B722 at Puerto Carreno on Dec 20th 2016, overran runway on takeoff. . 29 August 2018 . 27 October 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181002170210/http://avherald.com/h?article=4a25fb25&opt=0 . 2 October 2018 . live .
  2. News: Kauh . Elaine . Colombian Cargo B727 Crashes, Five Dead . 27 October 2018 . AVweb . 21 December 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170128234844/https://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/Colombian-Cargo-Jet-Crashes-Five-Dead-228242-1.html . 28 January 2017 . live.
  3. Kaminski-Morrow . David . Aerosucre crash followed flawed speed decision . . 18 . 5652 . 4 September 2018.
  4. Web site: Martinez. Claudya. 2016-12-22. The Cause Of This Colombian Plane Crash Is Unknown, But The Incident Happened To Be Captured On Video. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200803093321/https://wearemitu.com/mitu-world/the-cause-of-this-colombian-plane-crash-is-unknown-but-the-incident-happened-to-be-captured-on-video/ . 3 August 2020 . 2020-08-22. Mitú.
  5. News: Video: Aerosucre 727 freighter crashes in Colombia . FlightGlobal . December 21, 2016 . December 26, 2016 . Waldron, Greg.
  6. Web site: ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727-2J0F Adv. HK-4544 Puerto Carreño-Germán Olano Airport (PCR). Ranter. Harro. 26 December 2016. aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20161222083348/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20161220-0 . 22 December 2016 . 27 October 2018.
  7. Web site: Five crew dead after Aerosucre cargo plane crashes in Colombia. 2020-08-22. UPI. en.
  8. Web site: 2016-12-21. Impactantes imágenes del siniestro aéreo ocurrido en Puerto Carreño. Shocking images of the air accident that occurred in Puerto Carreño. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20161222161056/http://noticias.caracoltv.com/colombia/impactantes-imagenes-del-siniestro-aereo-ocurrido-en-puerto-carreno . 22 December 2016 . 2020-08-22. Noticias Caracol. es.
  9. Web site: Sierra. Daniela Parra. El destino de dos hermanos que abordaron el mismo avión que se cayó. The fate of two brothers who board the same plane that crashed. 2020-08-22. utadeo.edu.co. Universidad de Bogotá Jorge Tadeo Lozano. es.
  10. Web site: Informe Final Accidente HK4544.pdf. Final Accident Report HK4544. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20220212180631/https://www.aerocivil.gov.co/autoridad-de-la-aviacion-civil/investigacion/listado%20de%20accidentes%202016/Informe%20Final%20Accidente%20HK4544.pdf . 12 February 2022 . 2019-10-07. www.aerocivil.gov.co. Grupo de Investigación de Accidentes Aéreos. Spanish.