What happened
During a climb in marginal weather conditions, the aircraft experienced a failure of its left engine less than one minute after departing the runway. Following the loss of power, the captain notified air traffic control of the emergency, and permission was granted to perform an emergency landing at the departure airfield. However, the aircraft was unable to maintain sufficient altitude. While traveling at 210 km/h, the aircraft type impacted trees in a hilly, forested region situated approximately 7.5 km from the airport. The impact resulted in the total destruction of the plane and 38 fatalities.
Findings
Investigations into the accident identified several contributing factors related to engine performance and operational procedures. It was determined that the left engine failed due to icing. The crew did not activate the necessary engine deicing systems, which was attributed to a failure to complete the pre-takeoff checklist. During the climb, both engines number 2 and 3 failed to produce adequate power. Additionally, the aircraft's total weight was found to be 419 kg above the maximum takeoff weight. The flight's performance was further compromised because the landing gear had not been fully retracted, contributing to insufficient airspeed during the engine failure.