Flight Crew:
Both pilots were trapped in their seats because their legs were entangled in the rudder pedals and wreckage that intruded through the cockpit floor after impact. The pilots stated that they urgently wanted to exit the airplane because fuel was spilling and they could see smoke and flames. The captain shut down the engines and then grabbed the first officer by the belt and pulled on his lower body while the first officer pulled on an overhead bar with his arms. Through these efforts, the pilots were able to free the first officer’s legs from the wreckage. The first officer reported that he was then able to crawl out the main cabin door. After he exited the airplane and crawled over the wing, two passengers helped pull him away from the airplane.
Post Accident Interviews
Cabin Aide: The cabin aide stated that, when the passengers boarded the airplane, she helped them with their coats and carry-on bags and provided them with refreshments. She stated that the main cabin door seemed to operate normally when the pilots closed it before takeoff. The cabin aide indicated that she thought that the pilots were responsible for operating the main cabin door during normal and emergency operations and that a cabin aide would only operate the door in an emergency if the pilots were unable to do so.
She stated that she did not conduct a passenger safety briefing/demonstration and added that the pilots were responsible for such briefings. The cabin aide said she thought that the captain conducted a passenger safety briefing; however, because she was standing behind him, she could not hear what he said.
The cabin aide told investigators that she was seated on the forward-facing jumpseat with her seatbelt fastened during the takeoff roll. She stated that she did not notice any problems during the takeoff until she saw that they were rapidly approaching the airport perimeter fence. She remembered the captain saying, “hold on,” as the airplane ran off the runway and closing her eyes and trying to brace for the impact as the airplane headed toward the building.
The cabin aide stated that, when the airplane came to a stop and she opened her eyes, she could see that the pilots were alive but injured. She stated that the pilots were concerned about fire and told her to get the passengers out of the airplane and run. She stated that she unbuckled her seatbelt and moved to open the main cabin door. The cabin aide told investigators that she believed she “got the lever open” and that she then tried to use the electric “lever at the top [of the bulkhead] but it was not working.” She stated that the passengers began pushing and kicking the door, which eventually opened. The cabin aide stated that she jumped out of the airplane, fell, and then got up and ran away from the airplane. She stated that she was picked up by a passerby in a car, driven to a police officer and ambulance, and subsequently taken to the hospital.
Passengers: During post accident interviews, the eight passengers described various aspects of the preflight, taxi, attempted takeoff and evacuation sequence. Six of the eight passengers stated that they did not remember receiving a safety briefing before takeoff.
Additionally, post accident interviews indicated that at least four of the eight passengers were unrestrained when the takeoff roll began. Two passengers located and fastened their seatbelts during the takeoff roll; however, the other two (both seated on the side-facing divan seat) were unable to locate their seatbelts and were therefore unrestrained during the roll out. The two unrestrained passengers were thrown to the cabin floor during the accident sequence. One passenger stated that his hand was cut by his coffee cup during the accident. During the interviews many of the passengers referred to the cabin aide as a flight attendant.
Miss-Conception?
Before the flight, there wasn’t a proper crew briefing designating who was to provide the passenger safety briefing and expected duties of the cabin aide. The pilot believed the cabin aide was to provide the briefing and the cabin aide believed the briefing to be given by the pilot. A proper crew briefing would have officially outlined those duties.
Not only did the flight crew not realize the cabin aide’s responsibilities on this flight, passengers expected that the cabin aide was safety trained-- a Flight Attendant. After impact she was directed by the pilot to evacuate the passengers. She did not know how to operate the main cabin door nor did she assist the passengers out of the smoke filled cabin. Her lack of safety training and the misconception of her duties by flight crew and passengers compromised flight safety and eventually the emergency evacuation.
23 Aviation Basics
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