Sequence of Events
The flight crew arrived in Brussels the day before the accident on a flight from Bahrain and rested until Sunday morning. The aircraft arrived on Sunday with a different crew, and the two crews exchanged information about the airplane. No mechanical problems were reported.
Runway 20 was in service for takeoffs, while Runway 25L was mostly used for landings. During the pre-flight inspection, the pilot found only minor discrepancies: a left inner tire check and the E&E door latch down. The pre-flight briefing covered standard departure call-outs, runway incursion information, and a discussion of Runway 20's length. The crew also briefed engine failure procedures for a failure before V1 and the possibility of aborting after V1 if a dangerous situation prevented flight.
After completing flight documents, the crew requested and received an early departure. Takeoff parameters were computed using the Kalitta Air On-board Performance System (OPS computer), indicating they needed the full runway length.
Takeoff and Bird Strike
The aircraft taxied to the B1 intersection for Runway 20. After waiting for another aircraft to land on Runway 25, it lined up on Runway 20, making a tight turn to gain a few meters. The aircraft was cleared for takeoff at 11:29. The pilot advanced the throttles and confirmed engine stability, after which the flight engineers set reduced thrust. The aircraft began accelerating, and standard call-outs were made at the determined speeds: "airspeed," 80 knots, and V1.
A few seconds after reaching V1, engine number 3 ingested a bird. Approximately five seconds after V1, the engine stalled, producing a loud bang and a vibration felt in the cockpit. The pilot reported feeling that the aircraft was no longer accelerating and decided to abort the takeoff. Two seconds after hearing the detonation, the thrust levers were returned to idle and braking was initiated. The thrust reversers were not deployed.
Overrun and Impact
The first officer informed the tower that the aircraft would overrun the runway. The pilot turned the aircraft a few degrees to the right to avoid approach lights at the runway end. The aircraft left the runway at approximately 72 knots. It then reached an embankment, dropped from a height of 4 meters, and broke into three parts. The aircraft came to a stop just above the top of a railroad embankment.
The crew exited through the service door because the L1 door was blocked due to structure deformation.