Incident Overview
A passenger aircraft experienced a runway excursion during a rejected takeoff after a false warning indicated a right engine failure. The aircraft came to rest broken in two, approximately 530 meters from the runway end and 47 meters left of the centerline. Seven passengers were injured, and one passenger died from a heart attack. The 57 other occupants escaped uninjured.
Sequence of Events
Thirty-eight seconds after the crew initiated the takeoff procedure, at a speed of 230 km/h and after a ground roll of 1,450 meters, a warning sounded in the cockpit alerting the crew to a failure of the right engine. The captain took control and initiated emergency braking. Thrust reversers were activated seven seconds later, and the aircraft began to slow down.
As the aircraft approached the end of the runway, the captain steered left to avoid colliding with the approach lights and ILS system. The aircraft left the paved surface and contacted soft ground, causing the undercarriage to collapse. The aircraft then struck a drainage ditch and came to rest, broken in two.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined that the right engine was running properly at the time of the accident. A malfunction of the warning sound system caused the alarm to activate by mistake.