Nepal investigators have declared that the operator of the MHIRJ Airlines CRJ200, which stalled and crashed during takeoff from Kathmandu, was severely negligent during jet loading.
Saurya Airlines aircraft had a ferry flight to Pokhara for maintenance on July 24th last year, but did not follow the usual check-in procedures while on board.
As a result, the amount of loaded cargo — basic maintenance equipment and materials — is unknown, and “coarse estimates” of loading weight were used for the loading manifesto, the Nepal Aircraft Accident Investigation Committee said.
Cockpit – Voice recorder information was filmed when ground and maintenance personnel were “verbal discussions about estimating coarse baggage weights” during pre-flight preparations, the investigation said.
The luggage was “accidentally” placed in the cabin, but the pilot also raised no concerns. When calculating the center position of weight, the weight distribution is “not considered”. The load was not properly protected by the tie.
Investigators say the takeoff weight of the luggage and trim seats is listed at 18,137 kg. This includes 600kg of luggage “stadium” but the survey shows the figure is about 18,300kg.
The listed weight rotation speed should be 122kt and the corrected number of 123kt for the enquiry, but the undetected error in the speed table gave me a speed of just 118kt.
Analysis shows that the aircraft is beginning to rotate at just under 120kt, showing an unusually high rotational speed, up to 8.6°/s compared to a typical 3°/s.
Although this study considered the possibility that this pitch rate could be driven by weight and balance factors, or by an abnormal center of gravity, inspection of flight data revealed a “repeated history” of excessive turnover during takeoff.
It says that the sharp rotation from Runway 02 in Kathmandu was attempted at a “lower than optimal” speed. The aircraft's wings stopped and due to T-Tailed Design, turbulent wake reduced the elevator's effectiveness.
“A high turnover occurs while the aircraft is still under the influence of ground effects, which can further reduce stall margin,” the study adds.
“The food stalls happened right after the turnover, so the altitude was insufficient for recovery efforts.”
There were 16 passengers and three crew members on the plane (9n-ame), but the captain was the only resident who survived the crash.
