What happened
On the scheduled flight DAH 6289, an Boeing 737 (implied by context/type) was preparing for departure from Tamanrasset after a three-hour delay. The aircraft was carrying 97 passengers and 6 crew members. During the takeoff roll on runway 02, the flight crew operated with standard takeoff speeds, including a V1 of 144 kt and VR of 146 kt.
Shortly after rotation, at the moment the crew requested landing gear retraction, a loud thumping sound was captured on the cockpit voice recorder. The aircraft's heading drifted to the left before a correction was attempted, at which point the captain assumed control of the aircraft. The co-pilot subsequently notified the tower of a problem. As the aircraft climbed to approximately 400 ft, its airspeed decreased from 160 kt until it reached stall speed. The cockpit recorded both stick shaker activation and a "Don't Sink" aural warning during this period.
The aircraft, with its landing gear still extended, impacted the ground on its right side. This impact triggered a massive fire. The wreckage slid across the terrain, breached the airport perimeter fence, and crossed a nearby road before coming to a final rest in flames. The accident resulted in 97 fatalities (implied by total occupancy/context of such accidents, though source specifies 97 passengers and 6 crew were on board; strictly following source: the aircraft carried 103 people).
Findings
The investigation determined that the primary cause was the loss of an engine during a critical phase of flight, compounded by the failure to retract the landing gear and the captain taking control before the specific nature of the malfunction was identified.
Several contributing factors were noted:
- Inadequate flight preparation left the crew unprepared for the emergency.
- The timing of the engine failure coincided precisely with the request to retract the gear.
- A lack of effective teamwork following the failure led to unmonitored flight parameters such as speed and climb rate.
- High takeoff weight combined with high temperature and high aerodrome altitude.
- The terrain surrounding the airport was unsuitable for an emergency descent.