What happened
On the evening of the accident, the crew of EAB 220 contacted clearance delivery to confirm their flight plan to Bern-Belp. Due to thickening fog, air traffic controllers were managing arrivals and departures in batches, which caused several delays to the aircraft's scheduled departure. The operator, Eagle Air Ltd., had secured a specific landing slot in Bern-Belp that expired at 21:30 UTC, creating significant time pressure for the crew. To facilitate an earlier departure, the company's CEO, acting as dispatcher, contacted the Zurich control tower multiple times to urge an earlier takeoff.
During the pre-departure phase, an airport manager noted that while the right-hand engine was running, only one pilot was in the cockpit, as the other crew member was outside removing ice from the left wing. After receiving engine start clearance, the aircraft taxied toward runway 30. During taxiing, the crew requested a repetition of their taxi instructions, and the apron controller provided a correction regarding the route via taxiways ALPHA, INNER, and ECHO.
At 21:05:54 UTC, the aircraft received takeoff clearance. As the Saab 2000 accelerated, a significant power imbalance occurred; the left engine reached 102 percent of takeoff power while the right engine only reached 58 percent. This asymmetric thrust caused the aircraft to veer 10 degrees to the right, requiring the crew to use heavy nose-wheel corrections and reduce left-engine thrust to regain alignment. Although the aircraft successfully lifted off at 21:06:40 UTC, it crashed shortly after. The aircraft struck the frozen ground approximately 400 m southeast of the runway end, skidding 500 m further to its final resting position. There were 0 fatalities reported in the provided text, though the aircraft was destroyed.
Findings
- The crew was operating under intense time pressure to meet a late-arrival landing slot in Bern-Belp.
- Significant power asymmetry between the engines occurred during the takeoff roll, leading to a loss of directional control.
- Visual conditions were poor, with meteorological visibility recorded at only 100 m due to fog.