Looking back on the 7th May

Regrettably, on the 7th of May 2002, there were two aircraft accidents. 

The first was a China Northern Airlines flight traveling from Beijing-Capital International Airport (PEK/ZBAA) to Dalian Airport (DLC/ZYTL). Flight 6163 left Beijing at 20:37 for a scheduled flight of one hour and three minutes to Dalian. During descent, the crew reported an onboard fire. Communication was lost at 21:32, and the aircraft crashed into the sea 20 km from Dalian, resulting in the death of all 112 people on board. 

The cockpit voice recorder was retrieved on May 14, and the flight data recorder on May 18, 2002. The MD-82 involved was manufactured under license from McDonnell Douglas by the Shanghai Aviation Industrial Corporation (SAIC). The crash was attributed to arson by a passenger who had purchased seven insurance policies totaling $170,000 before the flight. He is believed to have carried gasoline-filled water bottles onto the plane and ignited them.

Aircraft Information:

Airline: China Northern Airlines

Code: CJ/CBF

Aircraft: McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82 (MD-82)

Registration: B-2138

Serial Number: 59522

Engines: 2 x PW JT8D-217C

First Flew: 1/10/1990

Age: 12 Years

The second incident involved an EgyptAir Flight, a Boeing 737-500, traveling from Cairo International Airport (CAI/HECA) to Tunis-Carthage Airport (TUN/DTTA).

Flight 843 left Cairo at 13:40, bound for Tunis. At 15:00 local time, the plane was cleared for a VOR/DME approach to runway 11 at Tunis-Carthage Airport. The crew did not perform a verbal approach briefing before or during the descent.

The approach procedure requires that the plane cross the Initial Approach Fix at 11 DME at 2100 feet and maintain this altitude until the Final Approach Fix at 6 DME. However, Flight 843 started descending prematurely at 6.8 DME.

There was no verbal acknowledgment of passing 1000 feet during the final approach. The descent continued through clouds until the plane struck the side of a hill at 750 feet, 6.6 km from the runway.

The aircraft lacked an EGPWS. The investigation concluded that an EGPWS would have issued a "Caution Terrain" alert 32 seconds before the crash, followed by "Terrain, terrain. Pull up, pull up" three seconds later.

The crash was due to the crew's inability to execute and control the final approach, as shown by their disregard for the approach fix and the premature descent.

Contributing factors to the crash included:

- Poor weather conditions at the time, including low visibility;

- Identified deficiencies in the training of both pilots, especially in conventional VOR/DME approaches;

- The relatively limited experience of both crew members with the type of aircraft being flown.

Aircraft Information:

Airline: Egypt Air

Code: MS/MSR

Aircraft: Boeing 737-566

Registration: SU-GBI

Serial Number: 25307

Engines: 2 x CFMI CFM56-3C1

First Flew: 24/09/1991

Age: 9 Years