(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) A major fire which started inside the cargo haul of a United Parcel Service (UPS) aircraft caused the crash of the Boeing 747 airliner inside UAE airspace, concluded investigating authorities in the UAE.
The final investigation by General Civil Aviation Authority of the UAE noted the crash was caused by a fire ignited by 'lithium batteries' stored in the cargo haul, leading to loss of flight controls and descent into UAE terrain within 28 minutes of detecting the 'emergency'.
The detailed 322-page investigation report noted several anomalies in the cargo flight which was on route to Cologne, Germany. Investigating authorities examined invoices for cargo on board the aircraft and found three shipments of lithium batteries on a flight which clearly had no declared shipments of 'hazardous materials'.
The first sign of a fire on-board the aircraft started at 32,000 feet when with a fire indicator went off 22-minutes after take-off. Initiating emergency return to Dubai International Airport, the captain reported anomalies in the flight control system which had already suffered critical damage within three minutes of the warning. The upper deck and cockpit filled with smoke as crew complained they 'could not see the radios'.
Descending to 10,000 feet, the captain's oxygen supply was abruptly cut-off forcing him to leave his seat and secure oxygen supply for himself. He never returned as he was incapacitated by 'toxic gases'.
The report said: "The captain was in distress locating the supplementary oxygen bottle and could not locate it before being overcome by the fumes. The captain was incapacitated for the remainder of the flight."
A post-mortem examination of the captain indicated that the cause of death was due to carbon monoxide inhalation.
According to the report, the flight control was then taken over by the first-officer as smoke inside the cockpit limited his visibility and he 'could not view outside of the cockpit', the primary flights displays, or retune the audio control panel to UAE frequencies.
"The cockpit environment was overwhelmed by the volume of smoke. There are several mentions of the cockpit either filling with smoke or being continuously 'full of smoke', to the extent that the ability of the crew to safely operate the aircraft was impaired by the inability to view their surroundings," read the report.
The dramatic turn of events on September 3, 2010, marked a rare incident in UAE's aviation history as the loaded UPS cargo crashed near a military complex near Dubai Silicon Oasis. Emergency crew and civil defence officials put out the fire as the scale of damage came to light next morning when charred remains of the flight were seen in broad daylight.
"Nearly three years following this tragic accident, UPS pilots welcome the release of this final report," said the Independent Pilots Association president, Robert Travis, who added that the group has worked with UPS on a system that could suppress and contain a fire for up to four hours.
The report included more than 35 recommendations, including better early-warning systems in cargo holds to detect fires, and adding equipment that could aid pilot visibility in smoky conditions.
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