What happened
A flight arriving from Moscow-Shermetyevo Airport was performing its final approach to runway 06 at Luxembourg-Findel Airport. As the aircraft passed the runway threshold at an altitude of approximately 5 meters and a speed of 278 km/h, the crew reduced engine power to 40% and engaged the thrust reversers on engines number 1 and 4. During this process, the thrust reverser on engine number 1 failed to deploy properly, causing the aircraft to bank to the right.
The aircraft touched down five seconds later at a speed of 265 km/h. Following touchdown, the spoilers were deployed, but engine power increased to 86% on engine 1 and 80% on engine 4. The aircraft subsequently veered off the right side of the runway and traveled 1,300 meters while rolling. The sequence ended after the plane struck a water tower and continued for another 900 meters before catching fire. The accident resulted in 7 fatalities and 38 injuries, while 32 occupants escaped without harm.
Findings
Investigations indicated that the incident was driven by a mechanical failure within the thrust control mechanism. This unexpected malfunction occurred during the landing phase, preventing the proper deployment of reversers and leading to a loss of directional control during the landing roll.