National Air Cargo airplane crashes in Afghanistan

[alberttky 0]

A National Air Cargo Boeing 747-400 freighter crashed in Afghanistan killing all seven crew members, The Aviation Herald has reported.

The airplane operating on behalf of US Mobility Command, from Bagram to Dubai Al Maktoum International Airport was carrying eight a seven-member crew and cargo consisting of five military vehicles, when it crashed shortly after takeoff erupting into flames near the end of the runway.

Afghan authorities immediately denied claims that the crash of a large civilian cargo aircraft was the result of enemy activities. According to a listener on the frequency, the crew reported the aircraft stalled due to a possible load shift.

Eyewitness reports describe the airplane as having reached an altitude of about 400 m (1312 feet) before suddenly "falling out of the sky".

http://www.arabiansupplychain.com/article-8661-national-air-cargo-airplane-crashes-in-afghanistan/#.UX_v_LXI2So

Video of crash http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=c32_1367332518

[Mulyadir Fitri 0]

That video is surreal. RIP to all those onboard. Sad day for aviation

[alberttky 0]

What may have caused the crash...

 

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=e1b_1367334683

[Prestley Shim 0]

From a video of the crash, it looked like the pitch angle was quite high. But either way, it was quite difficult to watch. RIP to those on board..

[xtemujin 0]

Video of crash.

 

http://theaviationist.com/2013/04/30/bagram-crash-video/

[Mohd Suhaimi Fariz 2]

Video of crash.

 

http://theaviationist.com/2013/04/30/bagram-crash-video/

I cannot believe it! Another crash caught on dash cam.

 

Looks horrible, may the crew rest in peace.

[Naim 6]

Probably caused by shift in centre of gravity due to loose cargo.

[zamim 0]

Why the date shown was 2013/02/01

[Naim 6]

Not set up properly.

[Lock SH 0]

Probably caused by shift in centre of gravity due to loose cargo.

 

Very likely or load shifted........

 

 

[Cire 0]

OMG....absolute horror. To watch it just plummet to the ground is just too surreal. RIP to the crews. It must have been a terrifying good 10-15 seconds or so for the crew to salvage the situation before it touches the ground.

[Shahridan Aziz 0]

Prayers to the crew

[Josh T 0]

OMG. That video is surreal. The feeling you get from watching that is so similar to the recent hot air balloon crash in Egypt.

[Cire 0]

A sense of helplessness. The aircraft just "disappear" in a cloud of fire and smoke. I guess the driver of the vehicle in which the car cam is mounted is too awestruck to react, not even a word from him. He must have wished that the plane will fly proper at the last minute.

[Radzi 2]

From the video, it is almost certain that the crash was caused by load shift. Improperly loaded cargo just moved backward during takeoff and climb when the body angle was high. The center of gravity moved way aft from the limit causing the tail end to be too heavy, pitching the nose up further and making the aircraft stall. By then nothing can be done anymore.

 

This is one of the risk of flying cargo aircraft, which is unlikely to happen in a passenger aircraft. It is a well known problem where the only solution is to ensure the cargo are properly strapped to the floor.

[alberttky 0]

From the video, it is almost certain that the crash was caused by load shift. Improperly loaded cargo just moved backward during takeoff and climb when the body angle was high. The center of gravity moved way aft from the limit causing the tail end to be too heavy, pitching the nose up further and making the aircraft stall. By then nothing can be done anymore.

 

This is one of the risk of flying cargo aircraft, which is unlikely to happen in a passenger aircraft. It is a well known problem where the only solution is to ensure the cargo are properly strapped to the floor.

Captain, I was discussing this case with my students this morning, and one of them asked, if the load shift happened at high altitude, would the pilots have enough clearance to salvage the situation, or it is still a gone case. My gut feel is "possible to salvage", if the crew manage to break the stall, and assuming the engines are functioning normally.

 

What say you?

[Radzi 2]

1. It is very unlikely for the load to shift at high altitude as normally the aircraft will not pitch too high at high altitude, as compared to during takeoff.

 

2. If it happens, if a lot of the weight moves aft, will the elevator have enough force to push the nose down? So it depends how much the load moves out of CoG limit. A little bit may be salvageable, I'm not sure, but a lot will still means disaster.

[flee 5]

I think that at cruising altitude, the pilots also have the advantage of airspeed. At take off speeds, there is very little room for error.

[Rozhan 0]

From the video, it is almost certain that the crash was caused by load shift. Improperly loaded cargo just moved backward during takeoff and climb when the body angle was high. The center of gravity moved way aft from the limit causing the tail end to be too heavy, pitching the nose up further and making the aircraft stall. By then nothing can be done anymore.

 

This is one of the risk of flying cargo aircraft, which is unlikely to happen in a passenger aircraft. It is a well known problem where the only solution is to ensure the cargo are properly strapped to the floor.

Capt. Do 747 combis have such risk? Wondering if pax number is low but full cargo behind?

Edited May 3, 2013 by Rozhan