AeroUnion Flight 302
| Industry | Cargo airline |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Mexico City , Mexico |
| Products | Cargo air transport |
AeroUnion Flight 302, a cargo flight operated by an Airbus A300B4-203F, crashed amid adverse weather conditions while on final approach to Monterrey International Airport in Mexico at approximately 23:18 CDT on 13 April 2010, after departing from Mexico City. The accident resulted in the deaths of all five crew members and one individual on the ground.
Aircraft and crew involved
The aircraft, manufactured in 1979, had been leased to AeroUnion since April 2002 and bore the registration XA-TUE. At the time of the incident, it had accumulated 55,200 flight hours and completed 27,600 landings.
Captain Adolfo Muller Pazos, aged 56, possessed a total of 16,754 flight hours, including 5,446 hours on the Airbus A300. First Officer José Manuel Guerra, 37 years old, had logged 3,114 hours with 1,994 on the A300. Flight Engineer Humberto Castillo Vera, aged 34, had amassed 3,038 hours with 1,461 on the A300 type. Also on board were observer pilot Manfred Muller (25), who had flown for 206 hours, and aircraft technician Érick Guzmán (36).
Accident
Around 23:18 local time on 13 April (04:18 UTC on 14 April), AeroUnion Flight 302 attempted a go-around following an unsuccessful landing attempt but subsequently crashed. The Airbus A300B4-203F was conducting a scheduled international cargo operation from Mexico City International Airport with a stopover at Monterrey International Airport before continuing to Los Angeles International Airport. Cleared to land on runway 11 at Mariano Escobedo Airport, the aircraft impacted Avenida Miguel Alemán highway nearly two kilometers short of the runway threshold. It collided with a vehicle, resulting in the death of the driver. The airplane disintegrated and ignited upon impact, causing fatalities among all five crew members.[1]
The crash occurred during a storm producing windshear and heavy rainfall, with cloud ceilings between 500 and 800 feet. METAR data indicated visibility of seven miles accompanied by light rain, broken clouds at 2,500 feet, overcast conditions at 5,000 feet, and intra-cloud lightning activity.[1]
Investigation
Mexico’s Ministry of Communications and Transportation through its Direction General of Civil Aeronautics (DGAC) initiated an inquiry into the accident. The probe was supported by Airbus and France’s Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA).[2]
The investigation revealed that during final approach the aircraft’s speed decreased to 110 knots—more than 20 knots below standard approach speed—prompting the crew to pull back on the control column which further slowed the airplane and increased its angle of attack. This triggered activation of the stick shaker stall warning system along with Alpha Floor protection which commanded maximum engine thrust. In response to the nose-up pitch caused by this thrust increase, pilots pushed forward on the control column; however, the trim remained set at 10.25 degrees nose-up and was not modified. The aircraft’s angle of attack rose to 41 degrees while airspeed dropped to approximately 70 knots. Stall warnings reactivated as the control column reached its forward limit and the airplane began descending rapidly. During the final ten seconds before impact, the control column was fully pulled back as altitude continued to decrease until collision.[3]Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
See also
- China Airlines Flight 140, an Airbus A300 stalled during approach in Japan due to pilot error.
- China Airlines Flight 676, an Airbus A300 that stalled on approach in Taiwan caused by pilot error.
- Colgan Air Flight 3407
- Air France Flight 447
- Turkish Airlines Flight 1951
- United Express Flight 6291
- Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501