History of the Flight
On 13 October 2004, the crew of MK Airlines Flight 1601 (MKA1601) began a series of flights at Luxembourg-Findel Airport, operating a Boeing 747-244SF (registration 9G-MKJ). The aircraft flew to Bradley International Airport in Connecticut, then continued as MKA1602 to Halifax International Airport in Nova Scotia, with a planned onward leg to Zaragoza, Spain. The heavy crew comprised two captains, one first officer, two flight engineers, a loadmaster, and a ground engineer. Delays occurred at Luxembourg due to late aircraft arrival and cargo preparation; 4,000 kg of cargo was offloaded to carry extra fuel. The flight departed at 1556 UTC and landed at Bradley at 2322. After a crew change and further delays due to cargo system issues, MKA1602 departed Bradley at 0403 UTC on 14 October, landing at Halifax at 0512.
Accident Sequence
After landing, the aircraft was refueled and loaded. At 0647 UTC, the crew began taxiing for takeoff on Runway 24. At 0653, the takeoff roll commenced. During rotation, the lower aft fuselage briefly contacted the runway. Seconds later, it contacted again with more force, remaining in contact for 825 feet beyond the runway end. The aircraft became airborne for 325 feet, then the lower aft fuselage struck an earthen berm supporting an ILS localizer antenna. The tail section separated, and the aircraft continued for 1,200 feet before hitting terrain and bursting into flames. The final impact occurred at 44°52′51″N 063°30′31″W, about 2,500 feet past the runway end, at 403 feet elevation.
Injuries and Damage
All seven crew members suffered fatal injuries. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a severe post-crash fire. Initial damage occurred during the runway contacts; severe damage followed the berm strike, with the vertical and horizontal stabilizers separating. The remaining structure forward of the aft pressure bulkhead was consumed by fire.
Emergency Response
At the Halifax airport fire hall, one of two emergency generators failed due to a tripped circuit breaker, causing dim lighting during initial response. Grid coordinates were not used to direct responders; good weather allowed easy location of the site, but some confusion occurred among units. Air traffic controllers struggled to obtain information on occupants and dangerous goods. MK Airlines provided occupant numbers one hour after the accident, but a dangerous goods list from the previous stop (Bradley) arrived only after 10 hours.
Investigation Findings
The flight crew's takeoff performance calculations contained an error that was not detected until it was too late to prevent the accident. The published slope for Runway 24 (0.17% down) was incorrect but did not affect the takeoff performance. The earthen berm was not considered an obstacle under existing regulations, as it did not penetrate the obstacle-free zone.