MKCrash
 

To all MK staff and the family members I offer my condolences
Sadly, I knew and flew with a few of the crew. May they rest in peace. The guys I knew were true gentlemen and will be truely missed as I know the rest of the crew will be.
Please hold back on all the chirps about MK at this time as it would be very disrespectful to some good crew and friends.
Thanks
Flywell

The CBC link footage says that it was carrying depleted unranium.

The tail of the wide-body plane, owned by MK Airlines Ltd of Britain and Ghana, lay in a field at the end of the runway, inside the fence surrounding the airport property.

"The aircraft basically didn't take off," said Steve Anderson, an airline spokesperson in Sussex, England.

"She continued her (takeoff run) and ran off the runway and ran into woods."

link

Yes, used for control mass balance I believe.

Condolences to the families and godspeed the flightcrew.

Sounds like an over-rotation caused by a massive and sudden cargo shift. Tails don't just snap off - even after tail strikes.
montys ex teaboy is right - the depleated uranium is used for W&B.

Does anyone have a link to the crew manifest? I have a bad feeling I know someone in the crew.

Here is a link to a news article with several photos


http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/ns/news/...s&floc=NW_1-L1

I worked with MK on the greasy 8s at Lasham. Great bunch of guys. My thoughts go out to the crews families.......

74TWEAKER
Ever thought of getting a job with the AAIB?
They need sound, straight talking people like you. NOT!!!!!

Christsake, let the poor buggers cool off before pointing the finger eh? :mad:

Hovis,

I think you need to cool off!

I'm not blaming anyone - It's a tragic accident. Although there has to be a reason for a 747 draging it's tail down the runway. I simply ment an over-rotation due to a weight shift - NOT an aircrew fault.

I re-read my original post and see how it could be mis-interprited. I was thinking 2 different things and when written it came out funny. I have since edited my original post.

Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I’ m in the memory of the time we shared,
I’ m in the hearts of those who cared,
I’ m in that morning walk,
I’ m there when airman laugh and talk.
My space is free, it’s wide, it’s vast.
Your time is now, mine’s in the past.
It was shared with friends who made my life
On earth a joy, amidst the strife.
This chapter’s over, but there’s more to do,
And many blank pages to be filled by you.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there,
I did not die.


God Bless the Crew and their families
Condolences to all at MK - Top people who must all be devastated

Condolences to the relatives and all at MK

I spent yesterday trying to make contact with a friend who is a F/O with MK.

I was lucky enough to have good news, my heart and thoughts go out to the families that didn't.

RIP guys.

My sincere condolences to the families, and all at MK.

RIP boys.

Cargo plane crashes in huge ball of fire

By Graeme Hosken

Three South African pilots and four other crew were killed when a transport plane they were piloting ploughed into the ground on take-off from a Canadian airport, bursting into flames.

Civil aviation authorities will leave SA this weekend to help their Canadian counterparts investigate yesterday's crash in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The cargo plane, a Boeing 747-200, which belonged to the air transport company MK Airlines, was believed to have crashed after its tail hit the ground during take-off from Halifax International Airport, causing the South African and Zimbabwean crew to lose control of the aircraft.

MK Airlines is owned by Mike Kruger, a South African with dual Zimbabwean citizenship.

It was the second air crash to befall the company. The first occurred in 2001 when another Boeing 747-200 crashed in Nigeria. The crew escaped with only minor injuries.

While staff from MK Airlines confirmed that the pilots were South African, they refused to name them until their next of kin had been informed.

It was understood that the three South African crew members are from Centurion and Pretoria North.

It was believed that one of the crew had worked for SAA while the others worked for the now defunct SunAir.

The aircraft, which had stopped in Halifax to refuel, was loaded with tractors, lobsters and fish, and was bound for Zaragosa, the main fishing city in Spain.

Steve Anderson, MK Airlines' risk and legal section manager, who is based in London, refused to comment last night "out of respect for the families".

Civil Aviation Authority spokesperson Moses Seate said they had been notified about the crash and were awaiting more information.

"As in any airline crash involving either South African crew or passengers, we will send a team of investigators to help out those from the country involved," he said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said last night said it had received word of the crash, but it was awaiting notification on the nationalities of the dead from Canadian authorities.

Halifax regional fire and emergencies spokesperson Mike Lerue, speaking from the crash site, said the aircraft had burst into flames on impact just outside the airport's perimeter fence.

He said the bodies, some charred beyond recognition, had been recovered both inside and outside the aircraft, which had crashed in a remote, wooded area.

"The preliminary investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Transport Safety Department has only just begun. Therefore it is still to early to say what caused the crash," said Lerue.

He said initial information indicated that the South Africans may have come from a "small town called Pretoria".

http://www.thestar.co.za/index.php?f...icleId=2262589

R.I.P
 

My thoughts go out to all the families involved, my God be with you.

I do know a few guys from MK, alot of them are ex Balmoral and what a fantastic bunch they are.

Aviation is a small world and when things like this happen there is a large portion of people who like to point fingers, this happened that happened, no one knows yet so lets STOP that and let the investigators do their job, maybe one day we can ALL learn from this unfortunate accident.

Someone said "there are those who have and there are those who haven't" lets just thank God those who read this havn't and hope it never does.

A very sad day for the aviation industry :(

Tiny

BBC News this morning are giving crew as 4 Brits, 1 German and 2 from Zimbabwe.

Even though BBC claims Brits - most Zimbo's have British passports. News from Zim is that is was 6 Zimbo's and 1 South African. No matter who they were it is a terrible tragedy.

Condolences to all at MK and the families left behind. Knowing one of the pilots who happened to be Godfather to my nephew it is absolutely heartbreaking.

my thoughts go out to all those involved.terrible tragedy.MKA is one of the great freight operators and its very sad it happened to them.It is also apalling that it recieved so little coverage in the SA media,since the airline has such strong links to South Africa.Shame on them.:(

Lining up in error - plausibilities
 

Just wondering how easy it would be in the dark to mistakenly enter and line-up at Taxiway Charlie on 06 at Halifax (i.e. 700mtrs in on a 2700mtr long runway).

a. Is the runway lighting unidirectional (i.e. pointing up finals - so that you'd not notice it extending away to your right as you entered)?

b. Would it be that the capatain wouldn't notice it (sitting on the left) but the F/O might (were he not doing something head down
inside the office?)

c. Would you notice the absence of runway numbering and piano keys? (I tend NOT to notice anything that's "missing" - and that's easier than NOT noticing things that are present and either obvious/not obvious)

d. Would ATC notice it from where the tower's located?

e. Any lit distance-to-run marker boards on 06?

f. Anybody ever heard of someone doing this in error either at HFX or elsewhere?

g. Drawing a long bow and assuming that this is a possible explanation, what's the solution to avoiding this sort of error?


Having made such a mistake (and not saying that they did, just hypothesizing).......

First realisation would be (I'd imagine) noticing that you're running out of runway lights. V1 would be invalid so you'd be off the end

anyway if you went RTO. Normal human reaction would be to go for the instant rotate (I'd guess that it would be mine).

Seems to be that these puzzle pieces fit under that scenario (vice cargo-shift or bad loading, bad weight-sheet).

No I'm not a journo, just a student of human errors - particularly my own proclivities to make same. I've made most yet survived and I'm

worried about how many lives I have left at this stage (so I am sorta desperate to learn about all the gotchas out there).