Dan-Air Flight 0034: Takeoff Failure and Ditching at Sumburgh (G-BEKF)

Operational Context and Departure Details Dan-Air Flight 0034 was operating a charter service transporting oil company personnel between Aberdeen, Scotland, and Sumburgh in the Shetland Islands. The inbound flight to Sumburgh had been completed without incident, and no significant aircraft malfunction had been reported. The crew, consisting of two pilots and a stewardess, remained on the ground for a stopover of nearly seven hours before departing on the return flight with 44 passengers on board. The source does not establish which pilot was the handling pilot for this sector. ## Takeoff Sequence and Weather Conditions At 15:48 hrs, the aircraft was taxied out to holding point 'India', located at the intersection of a disused runway and runway 15/33. Weather conditions included moderate visibility, low cloud, rain, and a fresh easterly wind. During the taxi, the stewardess delivered the company's standard safety briefing using a megaphone because the passenger address system was 'screeching'. The briefing covered the location of lifejackets, how to put them on, the method of inflation, and the location of emergency exits. A diagram showing how to don the lifejackets was fixed to the forward bulkhead of the cabin. Due to other aircraft movements, the aircraft was held at point 'India' for six minutes before being cleared at 15:57 hrs to 'enter and backtrack' for a takeoff on runway 09, which was virtually into wind. While backtracking, air traffic control passed the crew the en route clearance, which was read back correctly by the co-pilot. The aircraft was observed turning close to the western end of the runway and lining up on the runway heading. At 15:59 hrs, the flight received takeoff clearance from air traffic control, which was acknowledged by the co-pilot. ## Accident Sequence Evidence indicated that the engines were accelerated while the aircraft was held stationary on the brakes, and full takeoff power, using watermethanol, was achieved during the takeoff run, which commenced at almost exactly 16:00 hrs. Data from the aircraft's Flight Data Recorder showed that the aircraft accelerated normally through the decision speed, V1 (92 kts), to the rotation and safety speed VR/2 (99 kts). No rotation was carried out, and although the aircraft reached a speed significantly higher than VR, of the order of 113 kts, it failed to become airborne. Approximately five seconds after reaching the scheduled rotation speed, and after passing the intersection with the disused runway, the aircraft began to decelerate. Veering gradually to the left as it crossed the grass overrun area, the aircraft made contact with a discontinuity or 'step', approximately 40 centimetres high, at the edge of the airfield perimeter road, resulting in partial collapse of the undercarriage. After crossing the road in a left wing low and nose down attitude, the aircraft passed over the inclined sea defences and came to rest in the sea some 50 metres from the shoreline. ## Rescue and Casualties Emergency services arrived at the point on the road adjacent to the crash site within two minutes of the accident. However, about a minute later, the aircraft sank nose first in some ten metres of water, leaving only the rear section of the fuselage visible. Twenty-nine passengers and the stewardess were rescued or managed to swim to the shore under adverse weather conditions. Despite rescue attempts mounted from the shore, by small craft, and by helicopters summoned to the scene, fifteen passengers and the two pilots died by drowning.