What happened
At approximately 1820 GMT, a Douglas DC-7C, registration G-ARUD, commenced its takeoff from runway 12. During the departure, air traffic control noted that the aircraft's landing lights were not illuminated. The aircraft utilized an unusually long ground roll of roughly 2,300 meters before lifting off the runway. Following rotation, the plane struggled to gain altitude and was observed at a low height before disappearing behind a treeline.
Shortly after passing the trees, a fire became visible in the sky. The left side of the fuselage and the left wing collided with trees located approximately 2,300 meters past the runway 30 threshold. After this initial contact, the aircraft entered a descending dive with a left bank. The plane continued to strike the tops of trees for about 130 meters before crashing into a creek. Upon impact, the aircraft exploded, and the resulting fire ignited fuel and oil on the water's surface. There were 111 fatalities in the accident.
Findings
An official inquiry was unable to determine the exact cause of the crash with absolute certainty due to the condition of the wreckage and its location in a flooded forest. However, investigators noted that a jammed elevator spring-tab mechanism is a likely factor, as such a failure would create abnormal control forces and explain the extended takeoff run.
Several contributing factors were identified that may have worsened the situation:
- The use of a speed-acquisition procedure that encouraged flying at low altitudes.
- A failure to maintain a positive rate of climb during flap retraction.
- The presence of a check pilot in the co-pilot seat whose attention was focused on the first pilot rather than the flight instruments.
- The possibility of an unrecoverable instrument failure.