David Learmount/LONDON
Initial information on the Argentine Boeing 737-200 fatal accident on 31 August indicates that take-off was abandoned following a mechanical failure in the No 1 engine. Witness and survivor statements supporting this view have yet to be confirmed by official sources, although the captain survived and the flight data recorder has been recovered.
The Lineas Aereas Privadas Argentinas aircraft (LV-WRZ) overran the end of runway 13 at Buenos Aires' Aeroparque Jorge Newbery, hit several cars as it crossed a main road, and came to rest in flames at the edge of a golf course about 250m (820ft) beyond the runway end. Three of the five crew and 60 of the 95 passengers were killed, and there was at least one fatality on the ground.
The take off run began at about 20:55 in good weather following a 20min delay for an inspection of No 1 engine. Most witnesses say that the aircraft had just got airborne when the engine failed and all engine noise stopped as the pilot put the aircraft down again. One witness, however, says the pilot rotated the aircraft and held the nose up but did not get airborne.
Built in 1970, the aircraft, powered by two Pratt & Whitney JT8D-9A engines, had accumulated 67,800h and 42,000 cycles. In April 1998 the US Federal Aviation Administration, drawing up its list of safety priorities, placed the need for improved engine inspections second only to measures to prevent controlled flight into terrain.
Source: Flight International
