What happened
A scheduled flight originating in Dusseldorf, Germany, with a planned stopover in Reykjavik before continuing to New York, experienced a catastrophic failure during its initial climb. The aircraft was operated by a crew of seven and carrying three passengers at the time of the incident.
Shortly after departing at 07:00 hours and following the retraction of the landing gear, the number one engine was shut down and its propeller feathered. This was immediately followed by the shutdown and feathering of the number two engine. During this sequence, the flaps were fully retracted while the aircraft was still at a very low altitude.
Having reached an altitude of only 50 metres, the aircraft suffered a sharp loss of lift and descended into buildings within the city limits at 07:03 hours. The impact and subsequent fire destroyed the wreckage. The accident resulted in six fatalities and four serious injuries among the ten people on board. Additionally, the crash caused the death of one person on the ground and left two others with serious injuries.
Findings
Investigations determined that the crash was the result of an intentional engine shutdown performed by the pilot-in-command. The crew member had manually cut both engines and retracted the flaps immediately after takeoff as part of an unauthorized attempt to test another crew member. This maneuvering created a simulated emergency that was incompatible with safe flight operations and violated established civil aviation safety protocols.