Dual-Engine Failure and Crash Near Liège (D-IBEX)

Incident Overview and Flight Details On a night cargo service operating as flight EXT114 from Luton to Frankfurt, the aircraft experienced a right engine failure at 11,000 feet. The crew shut down the affected engine. Four minutes later, the left engine also failed. The crew issued a Pan call and was cleared to divert to Liège-Bierset Airport. ## Approach and Crash The aircraft was vectored for an approach to runway 23L. As it passed FL040, it entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed in a wooded area in Seraing, a southern suburb of Liège, 8.3 km southeast of Liège Airport. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces, and both pilots were killed. ## Probable Cause and Contributing Factors The official findings identified the deterioration of a right engine turbine blade, which broke off and caused significant damage to the turbine and downstream components, leading to the engine shutdown. The captain then continued the flight on one engine while maintaining altitude and a relatively high speed, in violation of company regulations, requiring maximum or near-maximum power from the left engine. Approximately four minutes later, the left engine failed following the failure of a compressor turbine blade; the exact cause could not be determined with certainty, but the stress imposed at high RPM and temperature certainly contributed. The crew did not transmit a Mayday call or set the distress code 7700 on their transponder. They transmitted a Pan call, which the controller interpreted as a medical issue. When transferred to approach control, the reported problem remained a medical issue, and the controller instructed a landing procedure to runway 23L rather than a cross-traffic procedure to runway 05R. The urgency was only recognized when the crew reported an inability to maintain FL040 due to lack of engine power. By then, the aircraft was too low and far from the runway to reach it. Contributing factors included the absence of a seal on the inner guide vane drum of the right engine, leading to abnormal wear and blade fracture; the crew's decision to continue the flight in violation of Standard Operating Procedures; the left engine blade failure; the crew's failure to clearly inform ATC of their situation; the controller's interpretation of the Pan call as a medical emergency; the time of day and lighting conditions; and the lack of initiative on the part of the crew.