Enquiry reveals causes of crash that killed five Air NZ crew
Air New Zealand has promised to further analyse the final report from the French Bureau d’Enquetes et d’Analyses (BEA) into the cause of the fatal accident involving an A320 operated by XL Airways of Germany off the coast of France in November 2008.
Five New Zealanders and two Germans lost their lives in the accident.
The A320 was under lease to XL Airways which was undertaking a pre-acceptance flight to demonstrate the proper functioning of the aircraft’s systems before its return to Air New Zealand.
The accident was the result of several contributing factors, said Air NZ.
The airline said the fatal flight was the first for the aircraft following maintenance at EAS, a maintenance facility based in Perpignan, France.
During the rinsing of the aircraft by EAS personnel, proper cleaning procedures were not followed and the aircraft’s angle of attack sensors were left unprotected.
Water penetrated two of the three sensors, which later froze during the flight.
The loss of control of the aircraft following the improvised demonstration of the functioning of the angle of attack protections during a low speed test, with the blockage of the angle of attack sensors making it impossible for these protections to trigger.
The German pilots were not aware of the blockage of the angle of attack sensors.
Speeds mentioned in the available programme of checks were not taken into account and consequently the demonstration was not stopped before the aircraft stalled.
Air New Zealand CEO Rob Fyfe said, “The investigative process is designed to ensure the aviation industry gets critical learning opportunities that will ultimately further improve safety in one of the most cautious and risk-adverse industries in the world.â€
Ian Jarrett
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