air france flight 4590 victims air france flight 4590 victims

The 1970s low-income apartment blocks are truffled with satellite dishes. After reaching takeoff speed, the tyre of the number 2 wheel was cut by a metal strip (a wear strip) lying on the runway, which had fallen from the thrust reverser cowl door of the number 3 engine of a Continental Airlines DC-10 that had taken off from the same runway five minutes previously. The airline suggested that the Concorde "was already on fire when its wheels hit the titanium strip, and that around 20 first-hand witnesses had confirmed that the plane seemed to be on fire immediately after it began its take-off roll". Getty Images ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW Djida's daughter, Dalila, was the last of Kenza's loved ones to see her alive. It has made me quite a thoughtful person, she explains. The jet was filled with German holidaymakers heading for a trip of a lifetime to join a cruise ship in New York. The accident happened the day after British Airways confirmed that hairline cracks had been discovered in the wings of all seven of its Concorde fleet. Alice only found out what happened when drivers at the roadside told her that Concorde had crashed into the hotel. [43], In June 2010, two groups attempted, unsuccessfully, to revive Concorde for "Heritage" flights in time for the 2012 Olympics. Something went wrong, please try again later. At first it was thought to be an engine problem, but an investigation revealed a catalogue of events that may have contributed to the tragedy. Any effect on takeoff performance from this excess weight was negligible. This paper focuses on the causes that led to the accident of Air France 4590 which crashed during an attempted takeoff from runway 26R at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris late afternoon July 25, 2000. It's a great supplement to this post. 14.43.31 - Controller: "4590, you have strong flames behind you.". The owner of the Htelissimo, who was seriously burned that day, has now written a. During its 27 years in service, Concorde had about 70 tyre- or wheel-related incidents, seven of which caused serious damage to the aircraft or were potentially catastrophic. "Pilot: "Too late (unclear). THE REAL STORY OF FLIGHT 4590: SPECIAL INVESTIGATION: A freak 'single cause' accident was blamed when an Air France Concorde crashed in flames in Paris last year, killing 114 people. The final report may not appear for several months. [47][50][51] It was alleged that Perrier, Hrubel, and Frantzen knew that the plane's fuel tanks could be susceptible to damage from foreign objects, but nonetheless allowed it to fly. "He was only supposed to ask them to phone me, but as soon as she saw his face, Tassadit begged him to tell her. The original - of Kenza in a gondola on a school trip to Venice - sits before her on the table, but Tassadit seems interested only in the newspaper medallion; it is the first public recognition of her daughter's death, more than a week after the Concorde crash. Last Days of the Concorde: The Crash of Flight 4590 and the End of Supersonic Passenger Travel (Air Disasters) On July 25, 2000, the chartered Concorde jet, en route to America, crashed and killed . Tassadit sits behind a low table, staring into space as she clutches a page from the morning's Le Parisien tabloid. [18][19][20], All the passengers and crew, and four employees of the Hotelissimo hotel were killed in the crash. Knowing that the iconic Concorde was due to take-off any moment, the woman had her video camera on record. "It has holes in it and in some of these holes appear to be Cherry aeronautical rivets. [28][36], In November 1981, the American National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) sent a letter of concern to the French BEA that included safety recommendations for Concorde. That's a big delay for a plane that makes the entire trip from Charles de Gaulle . The aircraft wasairworthyand the crew were qualified. The Rachids are from the Berber Kabyle minority, many of whom are Paris taxi drivers and cafe owners. "She loved clothes - brand names," she says, pulling trousers and jumpers from the imitation pine cupboard. Pilot: (unclear, sounds like exertion). Recording ends at 14.44.31.16. Kenza's parents cannot read or write, and her older brothers are rarely home. People have said to me that when people are in those sort of situations, one of two things happen. Rajeenee Chundunsing (41), from Mauritius, was raising two children alone and had worked at the Hotelissimo for a year. 14/4/18: Helios Airways flight 522 She'd been hired the day before. Pilot: Gear on the way up. [54], The Parisian court also ruled that Continental would have to pay 70% of any compensation claims. Any effect on takeoff performance from this excess weight was negligible. Air France Flight 4590 an Accident . It was the only fatal Concorde accident during its 27-year operational history. Why are womens bodies under attack from autoimmune diseases? On 25 July 2000, Air France Flight 4590, a Concorde passenger jet on an international charter flight from Paris to New York, crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 109 people on board and four on the ground. This wear strip had been replaced atTel Aviv, Israel, during aC checkon 11 June 2000. Air France Flight 4590 was a Concorde flight operated by Air France which was scheduled to fly from Charles de Gaulle International Airport near Paris, to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. The aircraft was leased to Air France on 6 January 1976. The report does not contain any analysis or final conclusions about the cause of the disaster, and notes that the sequence of damage and the links between the various events have "not yet been fully established". This compromised the alignment of the landing gear and the wobbling beam and gears allowing three degrees of movement possible in any direction. 14.43.25 - Pilot: "Engine fire procedure; (sound of switch, end of ringing). She won't take anti-depressants; she wants to be conscious.". 14.42.43 - Mechanic: "We have four heated up; (sound of switch). The type was finally retired in 2003: May at Air France; October at British Airways. He brought her to Paris where she became a concierge near the Porte de Clignancourt and Madjid pumped petrol across the street. 14.44.29 - Pilot: (unclear, sounds like exertion). The day after the Concorde crash, when Djida learned that Kenza had been killed, she telephoned her husband Ahcene, who was staying near Bejaia. This was the only fatal accident of the Concorde's entire career.[27]. [10][11][12][13] A video of the burning plane on takeoff and the aftermath of the crash was captured by a passing driver. While taking off from Charles de Gaulle Airport, the aircraft ran over debris on the runway, causing a . Unidentified voice (simultaneously on radio) Right (background noise changes, sound of switch). 14.43.59 - Aircraft instrument: "Whoop whoop pull up; (GPWS alarm, gong). paris air crash 1974 passenger list. "Fire service leader: "De Gaulle tower from fire service leader, can you give me the situation of the Concorde?" [6][33][34], While examining the wreckage in a warehouse, British investigators noticed that a spacer was missing from the bogie beam on the left-hand main landing gear. Also facing fines or a custodial sentence were the designers of the plane, who prosecutors say knew that the plane's fuel tanks could be susceptible to damage from foreign objects, as well as a French official responsible for the regulation of the plane's safety. This information is part of . The uneven load on the left leg's three remaining tyres skewed the landing gear, with the scuff marks of four tyres on the runway showing that the plane was veering to the left. 14.42 and 17 seconds Controller. Six other people in the hotel were critically injured.[2][3]. Air France flight 4590, flight of a Concorde supersonic airplane that crashed in Gonesse, a suburb of Paris, on July 25, 2000. Another Continental employee, Stanley Ford, was found not guilty. It was the only fatal Concorde accident during its 27-year operational history. Post-accident investigation revealed that the aircraft was over the maximum takeoff weight for ambient temperature and other conditions, and 810kg (1,790lb) over the maximum structural weight,[3]:32,159[BEA 2][BEA 3][28][29] loaded so that the centre of gravity was aft of the take-off limit. German Concorde victims 49 women and 47 men 3. Drag marks left on the runway by the left rear landing wheels show the Concorde was veering to the left as it accelerated toward takeoff. [30], Due to the veer, the Concorde travelled further down the runway than normal because it was failing to gain sufficient takeoff speed. Aborting the takeoff would have led to a high-speed runway excursion and collapse of the landing gear, which also would have caused the aircraft to crash. Details are emerging concerning the crash of Air France Concorde Flight AF 4590 on Tuesday afternoon. She believes the experience has definitely changed her and that it may even have influenced her decision to go into teaching. Alice Brooking was staying in the Hotelissimo in Gonesse when the stricken Air France Concorde flight 4590 plummeted on to it. Pilot: (unclear) Further maintenance work had been performed at Houston, Texas, but the strip had been neither manufactured nor installed in accordance with the procedures as defined by the manufacturer. Many believe this event accelerated the retirement of the Concorde in 2003. It shows that the crew, who were unable to retract the undercarriage, had lost all power in one engine and could neither accelerate nor gain altitude, tried desperately to reach Le Bourget airport, nearby. A piece of rubber on the runway, from a Continental Airlines DC-10, had hit the fuel tank on Concorde, causing a fuel leak that led to a fire. This communiqu was the result of the NTSB's investigations of four Air France Concorde incidents during a 20-month period from July 1979 to February 1981. This was immediately confirmed by the Captain's calling for the engine fire procedure". Continental mechanic John Taylor was given a 15-month suspended sentence, while another airline operative and three French officials were cleared of all charges. Over the 25 years Concorde has been in commercial operation, there have been at least seven potentially catastrophic incidents in which one or more of its tyres have burst, leading to punctures in the wings or fuel tanks. She didn't like cleaning rooms, but at least she would finish early. Claude Frantzen, a former employee of the French airline regulator. 14.43.49 - Co-pilot: "The airspeed indicator; (sound of switch, end of ringing). Back in 2000 Concorde was the pride of the air, a symbol of luxury and success the supersonic jet that could take you from London to New York in less than four hours. [53][54][55] The convictions were overturned by a French appeals court in November 2012, thereby clearing Continental and Taylor of criminal responsibility. Teacher Alice, now 36, from Sevenoaks in Kent, says: July 25 is a date that I remember every year. The report formally recommends that Concorde's airworthiness certificates should be suspended until "appropriate measures have been put in place to guarantee a satisfactory level of safety as regards the risk associated with tyre blow-outs" - a step the civil aviation authority and its French equivalent, the DGAC, carried out on August 16. [3]:159[28][29] Fuel transfer during taxiing left the number 5 wing tank 94 percent full. Continental denied the charges, and claimed in court that the aircraft was already on fire when it passed over the titanium strip. Trailing a plume of flames, it crashed into a hotel near Charles de Gaulle airport. Doomed: The Air France Concorde on fire moments before it crashed, Then and now: Alice as she was then and today 15 years later, Footage: The plane crash was caught on film, Supersonic: Concorde was the king of the skies thanks to it's speed over long distances, Smoking: The crash site of the doomed Concorde plane, Death: More than 100 people died in when Concorde crashed near Paris, Aftermath: Investigators discovered the plane had not been looked after properly, Death: Everyone on the Concorde plane died, Painstaking: Investigators went through the wreckage piece by piece to find out why the Concorde crashed. Pilot: Gear (unclear), coming up. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Athletic career [ edit] Marty specialized in long-distance windsurfing, as well as rally driving, cycling, skiing, and hang-gliding. "The July 25 accident shows that the destruction of a tyre, an event that we cannot say will not recur, had catastrophic consequences in a short period of time, preventing the crew from rectifying the situation," the report says. [26], Despite the accident, Concorde was still considered among the world's safest aircraft. Air France Flight 4590 from Paris to New York ran into problems almost instantly during take-off. She wasn't on the plane. ", Yet faith is little comfort to Tassadit. The youngest child of a retired petrol station attendant and a cleaning lady living on welfare payments, Kenza was the only child of the Rachid family to obtain her baccalaureat in French. July 1993: Tyre burst on a BA plane during landing at Heathrow, causing substantial ingestion damage to the number 3 engine, damaging the landing gear and wing, and puncturing an empty fuel tank. Last sound noted on transcript at 4:44.30.18 p.m. Recording ends at 4:44.31.16 p.m. On 10 March 2005, French authorities began a criminal investigation of Continental Airlines, whose plane dropped the debris on the runway. Controller: End reception Middle Marker. [3]:17,170, At 16:38 CEST (14:38 UTC), five minutes before the Concorde departed, Continental Airlines Flight 55, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30, took off from the same runway for Newark International Airport and lost a titanium alloy strip that was part of the engine cowl, identified as a wear strip about 435 millimetres (17.1in) long, 29 to 34 millimetres (1.1 to 1.3in) wide, and 1.4 millimetres (0.055in) thick. [41] Just before service resumed, the September 11 attacks took place, resulting in a marked drop in passenger numbers, and contributing to the eventual end of Concorde flights. The crew reduced the power on engines three and four in an attempt to level the aircraft, but with falling airspeed they lost control and the aircraft stalled, crashing into the Htelissimo Les Relais Bleus Hotel near the airport. Tyre fragments, flung by the rapidly spinning wheel, violently struck the underside of the wing, damaging parts of the landing gear thus preventing its retraction and causing the integral fuel tank to rupture. I jumped and ran for my life. The trial started on2 February2010. Air France and Airbus have been put under investigation for "involuntary homicide" and the BEA reports suggested a number of factors, including human error, led to the tragedy. The official transcript from the cockpit voice recorder of the Air France Concorde Flight 4590 showed that the pilots were unaware anything was wrong until alerted by the control tower at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport. I don't think it is an overly negative thing. "Air France told me they would give everyone the same amount," he says, recalling that Kenza also had a French passport. "I don't want money, I want my daughter," Tassadit says hopelessly. The piece could reach this speed by combination of rotation of the tyre on takeoff and the tyre burst. Mechanic: Cut engine two. 14.43.49 - Controller: "End reception Middle Marker.". Fifteen years on from the devastating crash, it is unlikely that Concorde will ever take to the skies again, and instead the remaining fleet are scattered in museums across the world. Over an hour delayed, the crew proceeded with the tailwind takeoff rather than taking the time to taxi to the other end of the runway to make the takeoff into a headwind, as is normally done. While speeding down the runway at takeoff, the aircraft ran over debris on the runway, blowing a tire and puncturing the fuel tank. Leaking fuel gushing out from the bottom of the wing was most likely ignited either by an electric arc in the landing gear bay (debris cutting the landing gear wire) or through contact with hot parts of the engine. Explore the world of Concorde with Heritage Concorde. The Concorde was missing the crucial spacer from the left main landing gear beam that would have made for a snug-fitting pivot. [3]:115 It did not directly puncture any of the fuel tanks, but it sent out a pressure shockwave that ruptured the number 5 fuel tank at its weakest point, just above the undercarriage. Mechanic: Im hitting. ", "They did everything together," says Djida Driss. Co-pilot: The gear wont come up (fire alarm rings). Air France Flight 4590_final-report_AF 4590_F-BTSC_Concorde.pdf - Google Drive. The co-pilot was then heard to say: "Le Bourget, Le Bourget. Five minutes before the Concorde, aContinental AirlinesDC-10departing forNewark, New Jersey, had lost atitanium alloystrip (part of the engine cowl, identified as awear strip), 435 millimetres (17.1in) long, 29 to 34 millimetres (1.1 to 1.3in) wide and about 1.4 millimetres (0.055in) thick, during takeoff from the same runway. The Captain was Pilot Flying (PF), the First Officer (FO) was Pilot Not Flying (PNF). 14:42.35 - Unidentified voice on radio channel: "Go on, Christian.". I think it makes you more aware of life and the importance of life. [57] Another monument, a 6,000-square-metre (65,000sqft) memorial surrounded with topiary planted in the shape of a Concorde, was established in 2006 at Mitry-Mory, just south of Charles de Gaulle Airport.[58][59]. [1], While taking off from Charles de Gaulle Airport, the aircraft ran over debris on the runway, causing a tyre to blow up and disintegrate. Tassadit is dressed in Kabyle fashion, with a scarf tied turban-like on her head, and a long, brightly coloured dress. Engine number 1 surged again, but did not fully recover, and the right wing lifted from the asymmetrical thrust, banking the aircraft to over 100 degrees. On 25 July 2000, Air France Flight 4590, a Concorde passenger jet on an international charter flight from Paris to New York, crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 109 people on board and four on the ground. The official investigation was conducted by France's accident investigation bureau, the Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA). Top (noise similar to engines increasing power). But aviation experts have said commercial considerations may well rule that out. [6], At one point, it drifted toward a just-landed Air France Boeing 747 that was carrying then-French President Jacques Chirac (who was returning from the 26th G8 summit meeting in Okinawa, Japan). 35,000 feet above the night-dark waves, dim overhead lights illuminate the cockpit of Air France flight 447. But children, very old people and martyrs are exonerated from judgment. As Air France had paid out 100 million to the families of the victims, Continental could be made to pay its share of that compensation payout. The Air France victims' families have been mourning following the discovery of the plane's wreckage A young boy on his way back to school, two oil company workers heading home to their. [18][19], A few days after the crash, all Air France Concordes were grounded, pending an investigation into the cause of the crash and possible remedies. Flying at. 13 June 1979: The number 5 and 6 tyres blew out during a takeoff from, 21 July 1979: Another blown tyre incident during takeoff from Dulles Airport. "In the Prophet's time there were only camels, no means of mass transportation. Most of the Rachids' images of Kenza's 19 years are small ID photos taken in photo booths. Pilot: Up to 100, 150 (followed by unclear words, sound of switch). [citation needed]The aircraft had passed close to aBoeing747carrying French PresidentJacques Chirac which was much further down the runway than the Concorde's usual takeoff point; only then did it strike the metal strip from the DC-10. November 1985: Tyre burst on a BA plane leaving Heathrow, causing damage to the landing gear door and fuel tank. 2 engine. - the concorde crash of 2000 stock videos & royalty-free footage . 13.58 Crew contacts control tower to plan pre-flight sequence. Marty's last words, at a few seconds after 2.44pm on July 25, were: "Too late no time." The left wing of supersonic passenger airliner Concorde, Air France Flight 4590, bursts into flame on take off from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport,. Mechanic: Yes. 14.44.03 - Fire service leader: "De Gaulle tower from fire service leader.". However, a blow-out of this kind has never before led to a fuel fire.". Air France Flight 4590 was a scheduled international flight from Paris to New York City on a Concorde jet on July 25, 2000. The pilot flying, First Officer Pierre-Cdric Bonin, stares dully at the instrument panel. He handled Metrojet Flight . Five individuals also stood trial two Continental employees and three French officials, all denying the charges. 14.43.16 - Unidentified voice (simultaneously on radio) "Right; (background noise changes, sound of switch). This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. And planes taking off from Roissy. The court ruled that the crash resulted from a piece of metal from a Continental jet that was left on the runway; the object punctured a tyre on the Concorde and then ruptured a fuel tank. Section 2.2 "Crew Actions" (page 166): "The exceptional environment described above quite naturally led the FE to ask to shut down the engine. The American was a retired Air France employee, but the. Air France has paid 100m euro in compensation to the families of the crash victims. The family sent them away, saying they wanted to consult a lawyer. Mechanic: We have four heated up (sound of switch). French accident investigation bureauAviation Week and Space Technology, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. The NTSB described those incidents as "potentially catastrophic", because they were caused by blown tyres during takeoff. Two engines were damaged as a result of the accident. Controller: "Air France 4590, runway 26 right, wind zero 90 knots, authorized takeoff." Co-pilot: "4590 taking off 26 right" (sound of switch). Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. She is especially proud of a framed photo of Kenza as bridesmaid at the wedding of the daughter of Tassadit's best friend, Djida Driss (54), from across the street in Garges. Leaking fuel then ignited causing the fire. A Spanish truck driver and his wife were driving past Charles de Gaulle airport at the time. 14.43.39 - Pilot: "Gear (unclear), coming up.". Victims of the Air France Flight 4590: 96 German citizens were among those killed. On 25 July 2000, it crashed into a hotel in Gonesse, France. Co-pilot: Well received (fire alarm, gong, three switch sounds). 14.43.03 Co-pilot: "V one; (Low-frequency noise). Unidentified voice on radio channel: Go on, Christian. unlikely that Concorde will ever take to the skies again, HONEYTRAP HELL: Watch the moment dad lets two women into flat who seduced and drugged him before stabbing him to death over fake Rolex he'd shown off online, Sonic boom as RAF jets scramble to escort plane and thousands hear Leicester 'explosion', Katie Price parades 'biggest boobs ever' in VERY raunchy poolside photoshoot, William and Kate Middleton have worry over Prince George's Coronation role, says expert, Fantastic Phil Foden helps Man City overcome Newcastle challenge to keep pressure on Arsenal, Defiant Prince Andrew seen smiling amid royal eviction clash with King Charles, Spencer Matthews sparks concern as Finding Michael documentary pulled at 11th hour, Cyclist pavement killer risks losing home as neighbours break silence, Harry has 'NOTHING TO LOSE' after Frogmore eviction as he prepares for trauma tell-all, Woman, who was over drink-drive limit, dies in crash on way home from work at club, 'I was trapped in toxic diet culture for years - it's time to reclaim beauty standards', Saturday Kitchen fans in hysterics as guest repeats X-rated word live on BBC, Subscribe to Daily Mirror and Sunday Mirror newspapers. Pilot: Engine fire procedure (sound of switch, end of ringing). This was the only fatal Concorde accident during its 27-year operational history. Co-pilot: No (two switch noises). Large amounts of fuel leaking from the rupture ignited, causing a loss of thrust in the left-hand-side engines 1 and 2. In the wake of the disaster, the entire Concorde fleet was grounded. I think it matured me as a person.". [54][56], A monument in honour of the crash victims was established at Gonesse. 14.43.34 - Co-pilot: "Yes, well received.". For three million Algerians living in France, the death of Kenza Rachid has special resonance, because her family's experience so closely resembles their own. 14.43.20 - Mechanic: "Breakdown, eng, breakdown engine two; (two sounds of switches, followed by fire alarm). Using cuts from the Air Crash Investigation programme, I have compiled together the events of Air France Flight 4590 crash from start to finish. Specifically, discussion will involve: . Engine problems occurred in engine number 2 and, briefly, in engine number 1. Date: 25 July 2000. The Concorde would have needed at least 3km of runway to abort safely. 113 people lost their lives when this accident occurred, Above; The memorial of flight 4590 at the crash scene. [3]:17 However, the aircraft had passed V1 speed, at which point takeoff is considered unsafe to abort. The convictions were later overturned by a French appeals court, clearing Continental and Taylor of criminal responsibility. Analysis of test results revealed the level of kinetic energy necessary to cause the rupture of fuel tank. When it stood at the end of the runway, ready to roll, it was over its approved maximum takeoff weight for the given conditions. As it powered down the runway at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, flames were seen shooting out of one of the engines. . This strip has not been identified as coming from Concorde," the report says. The Air France Concorde, registered F-BTSC, was to depart Paris-Charles de Gaulle for a flight (4590) to New York-JFK. The pilots tried . Page 159: "14h40m01s it can be deduced that, for the crew, the aircraft weight at which the takeoff was commenced was 185,880kg, for a MTOW of 185,070kg". Co-pilot: 100 knots. The labels are from Etam and La City, inexpensive French women's shops. "But we need guarantees that such a chain of events cannot happen again.". But they seem comforted when he tells them that their daughter is a martyr. I didn't know anyone who died in this tragedy, so that in itself removed a lot of my pain. It was only her first day at work. There are few grainy images of Concorde's flight to tragedy, but those that exist show the true horror of the disaster. The plane did not gain enough airspeed with the three remaining engines as damage to the landing gear bay door prevented the retraction of the undercarriage. )[35] This skewed the alignment of the landing gear because a strut was able to wobble in any direction with 3 of movement. Co-pilot: Negative, were trying Le Bourget (four switching sounds). In 2008, French prosecutors brought manslaughter charges against Continental Airlines, which denied responsibility. The airplane went down in flames almost immediately after takeoff, killing all 109 people on board and 4 others on the ground. Fuel transfer during taxiing may have overfilled the number five wing tank. [3]:155[30][BEA 5], The final report was issued on 16 January 2002. But some believe the supersonic jet's reputation never recovered, and the last Concorde flight landed in London Heathrow from New York in October 2003. And she was Algerian. [3]:17,107[7] At 16:42, the Concorde ran over this piece of debris during its take-off run, cutting the right-front tyre (tyre No 2) of its left main wheel bogie and sending a large chunk of tyre debris (4.5 kilograms or 9.9 pounds) into the underside of the left wing at an estimated speed of 140 metres per second (270kn; 500km/h; 310mph). [52], The trial ran in a Parisian court from February to December 2010. A large plume of flame developed; the Flight Engineer then shut down engine two, in response to a fire warning and the Captain's command. Events: 216 List. Co-pilot: Le Bourget, Le Bourget, Le Bourget. Aircraft instrument: Whoop whoop pull up (GPWS alarm, gong). The final terrifying moments of Air France flight 4590 were revealed yesterday when French accident investigators released their preliminary report on last month's Concorde crash outside Paris, in which 113 people died. Having passedV1speed, the crew continued the takeoff, but the plane did not gain enough airspeed with the three remaining engines, because the severed electrical cables prevented the retraction of the undercarriage. The plane was over its maximum weight for take-off, but any effect was thought to be negligible. At the time of the crash, the aircraft had flown for 11,989 hours and had made 4,873 take-off and landing cycles.