Introduction
On October 1, 2008, the crew of Boeing 737-300 aircraft EI-DON, operated by KD Avia under the oversight of the North-West Interregional Territorial Administration of Air Transport of Rosaviatsiya, prepared to perform a scheduled international flight. The flight, designated KNI-793/794, was to operate from Kaliningrad's Khrabrovo Airport to Barcelona, with the return segment later that day. The crew consisted of a pilot-in-command, a first officer, and four flight attendants.
Crew and Pre-flight Activities
Preliminary preparation for the Kaliningrad–Barcelona leg had been conducted with the crew on May 7, 2008, under the guidance of the chief of flight operations. On the day of the flight, the crew underwent a pre-flight medical check at the Khrabrovo Airport medical station at 08:30. All members were cleared for duty without any remarks. At 08:35, the crew passed the navigation readiness check, followed by a weather consultation with the duty forecaster at 08:45.
Weather Conditions
Meteorological conditions along the planned route and at the departure, destination, and alternate airports were reported to be within the crew's minimums. The actual weather at Khrabrovo at 07:30 was: wind 160° at 6 m/s, visibility 3500 meters, rain showers, overcast cloud ceiling at 420 meters, temperature +10°C, dewpoint +9°C, QFE 744 mmHg, and a runway friction coefficient of 0.6. At Barcelona, the weather at 08:00 was: wind 350° at 11 knots, visibility 10 kilometers, few clouds at 520 meters, temperature +16°C, and QNH 1017 hPa. The forecast for Barcelona valid from 06:00 to 15:00 indicated wind 340° at 10 knots, visibility 10 kilometers, few clouds at 750 meters, with a gradual shift to wind 170° at 8 knots between 10:00 and 12:00, and temporary CAVOK conditions possible. The alternate airport, Palma de Mallorca, had a forecast of variable wind at 3 knots, visibility 10 kilometers, few clouds at 750 meters, gradually becoming wind 210° at 10 knots from 09:00 to 11:00.
Departure Decision
After reviewing the weather and other operational factors, the pilot-in-command made the decision to proceed with the flight from Kaliningrad to Barcelona at 08:48. At the time of departure from Khrabrovo, the aircraft carried 104 passengers and 1129 kilograms of baggage. The aircraft was also fueled for the journey.