Two Dead As Cargo Plane Crashes In Dubai

Sky Newa ^ | Sept 3rd 2010 | Tom Bonnett

[Cardhu]

The United Parcel Service (UPS) aircraft ran into technical trouble shortly after leaving for Germany from Dubai International Airport.

The Boeing 747-400 was diverted to a nearby air force base but caught fire, hit a covered parking lot, then bounced and crashed, a government source said.

There were no injuries on the ground.

The plane suddenly vanished, Saif al-Suwaidi, general manager of civil aviation in Dubai, said.

"The pilot reported fire and smoke in the cockpit and was instructed to return to Dubai," Mr Suwaidi said.

"After failing to land at the airport, the plane disappeared from radar screens and was found later (at the crash site)."

A nearby resident said: "I saw the plane suddenly dive down into the base and heard a huge explosion."

Another witness said he was sitting on the balcony of his home when he heard a "big boom."

"There was fire and too much smoke," he said.

[Cardhu]

Two Dead As Cargo Plane Crashes In Dubai Share42 Share Comments (1)10:37pm UK, Friday September 03, 2010

Tom Bonnett, Sky News Online

The bodies of two crew members on board a cargo plane that crashed shortly after taking off from Dubai have been recovered.



Smoke rises as emergency services circle the scene

[zipper]

A terrible tragedy. UPS’s first fatal accident.

Unlike the FedEx Narita crash, it gets no attention since there was no video of them dying. I know that’s a cynical view but it’s the unfiltered truth. That’s how media works.

The 747 is a very mature airframe. I can’t imagine what could have caused such a fire. But I know the professionalism of UPS pilots and I’m sure they did everything possible to save the airframe and themselves.

[zipper]

Aviation sources in Dubai report, that the crew declared emergency reporting a fire in the cockpit shortly after takeoff and attempted to return to the airport's runway 30L dumping fuel. The airplane was seen flying very low at a shallow descent until impact, where the airplane erupted in a large fire ball. Several buildings, apparently all of them under construction, have been set on fire by the crash.

Pilots on frequency of Bahrain Center reported, that the airplane had been enroute overhead the Arabian Gulf about 120nm westnorthwest of Dubai when the crew performed an emergency descent and reported a fire in the cockpit. Later they reported they were unable to read their instruments and were unable to change frequency asking for frequent updates on their altitude and speed from ATC. They were vectored for a straight in approach to Dubai's runway 12L. Being too high and too fast for landing they were offered to divert to Sharjah or join a right hand downwind for another visual approach to runway 12L. The airplane impacted ground about 20 minutes after declaring emergency.

http://avherald.com/h?article=4307772e&opt=0

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Scarily reminiscent of the Swissair 111 MD-11 crash.

I don't think UPS has a door separating the cargo compartment from the cockpit -- I wonder where the fire originated?

At any rate this was a nightmare scenario. Statistically they only had about 18 minutes to get the airplane to a safe landing.

[skeptoid]