What happened
While performing a scheduled mail delivery from London-Gatwick Airport to East Midlands Airport, an aircraft entered its initial descent phase. During this period, a cabin attendant noticed that mechanical indicators on one of the cabin doors indicated an unlocked status. Shortly after this observation, the right-hand rear baggage door detached from its hinge mounts and swung open.
The detached door became wedged against the leading edge of the right horizontal tailplane. This obstruction caused the aircraft to enter an uncontrollable, steep dive characterized by violent pitch oscillations. The aerodynamic forces exerted during these maneuvers resulted in extreme overstressing of both the mainplanes and the horizontal tailplanes. Consequently, the wings and tail surfaces separated from the fuselage, leading to the total destruction of the aircraft. There were three fatalities among the crew members on board.
Findings
Investigations determined that the primary reason for the accident was the baggage door becoming lodged against the right tailplane's leading edge, which fundamentally altered the aircraft's aerodynamic stability and led to structural failure.
Several contributing factors were identified:
- The door operating mechanism was improperly rigged, causing the upper and lower claw catches to lose synchronization.
- The door warning systems failed to provide sufficient notification regarding the unsafe state of the door.