AIR

CRASH INVESTIGASTION

TOPIC – Munich air disaster.

AIRCRAFT-British European Airways Flight (609),
SUBJECT -Aircraft system and instruments
COURSE CODE - 18ASC105T.

BY,
NISHIT RAKESH
REGISTRATION NO = (RA1811019010112)
DEPARTMENT- AEROSPACE ENGINEERING
YEAR- 2nd year, III sem
SECTION – AERO-C
 INTRODUCTION
The Munich air disaster occurred on 6 February 1958
when British European Airways Flight 609 crashed on
its third attempt to take off from a slush-covered
runway at Munich-Riem Airport, West Germany. On
the plane was the Manchester United football team,
nicknamed the "Busby Babes", along with supporters
and journalists. Twenty out of the 44 on the aircraft
died at the scene. The injured, some unconscious, were
taken to the Hospital in Munich where three more
died, resulting in 23 fatalities with 21 survivors.
The team was returning from a European Cup match in
Belgrade, Yugoslavia, having eliminated Red Star
Belgrade to advance to the semi-finals of the
competition. The flight stopped to refuel in Munich
because a non-stop flight from Belgrade to Manchester
was beyond the "Elizabethan"-class Airspeed
Ambassador's range. After refuelling, pilots James
Thain and Kenneth Rayment twice abandoned take-off
because of boost surging in the left engine i.e. giving
more thrust then expected. Fearing they would get too
far behind schedule, Captain Thain rejected an
overnight stay in Munich in favour of a third take-off
attempt. By then, snow was falling, causing a layer of
slush to form at the end of the runway. After the
aircraft hit the slush, it ploughed through a fence
beyond the end of the runway and the left wing was
torn off after hitting a house. Fearing the aircraft might
explode, Thain began evacuating passengers while
Manchester United goalkeeper Harry Gregg helped pull
survivors from the wreckage.
An investigation by West German airport authorities
originally blamed Thain, saying he did not de-ice the
aircraft's wings, despite eyewitness statements to the
contrary. It was later established that the crash was
caused by the slush on the runway, which slowed the
plane too much to take off. Thain was cleared in 1968,
ten years after the incident. Manchester United were
trying to become the third club to win three successive
English league titles; they were six points behind
League leaders Wolverhampton Wanderers with 14
games to go. They also held the Charity Shield and had
just advanced into their second successive European
Cup semi-finals. The team had not been beaten for 11
matches. The crash not only derailed their title
ambitions that year but also virtually destroyed the
nucleus of what promised to be one of the greatest
generations of players in English football history. It
took 10 years for the club to recover, with Busby
rebuilding the team and winning the European Cup in
1968 with a new generation of "Babes".
 AIRCRAFT AND CREW MEMBERS
The aircraft was a six-year-old Airspeed Ambassador 2,
built in 1952 and delivered to BEA the same year.

AIRCRAFT DETAILS-
The Airspeed AS.57 Ambassador is a British twin
piston-engine.
General characteristics

● Crew: 3
● Capacity: Up to 60 passengers
● Length: 81 ft (25 m)
● Wingspan: 115 ft (35 m)
● Height: 18 ft 4 in (5.59 m)
● Wing area: 1,200 sq ft (110 m2)
● Aspect ratio: 11:1
● Empty weight: 35,884 lb (16,277 kg)
● Max take-off weight: 52,000 lb (23,587 kg)
● Fuel capacity: 1,000 imp gal (1,200 US gal; 4,500 l) in two
integral wing tanks, with provision for 600 imp gal (720 US gal;
2,700 l) in two centre-section bag tanks
● Powerplant: 2 × Bristol Centaurus 661 18-cylinder air-cooled
sleeve-valve piston engines, 2,625 hp (1,957 kW) each
Performance
● Maximum speed: 312 mph (502 km/h, 271 kn) at 75% power
with 11,650 lb (5,280 kg) payload
● Cruise speed: 300 mph (480 km/h, 260 kn) at 20,000 ft (6,100
m) at 50,000 lb (23,000 kg)
● 279 mph (242 kn; 449 km/h) at 60% power
● Range: 720 mi (1,160 km, 630 nmi) with 11,650 lb (5,280 kg)
payload and no reserves at 280 mph (240 kn; 450 km/h)
900 (780 nmi; 1,400 km) at 220 mph (190 kn; 350 km/h)
1,560 mi (1,360 nmi; 2,510 km) with 7,900 lb (3,600 kg) payload
● max. fuel at 280 mph (240 kn; 450 km/h)
1,950 mi (1,690 nmi; 3,140 km) with 7,900 lb (3,600 kg) payload max.
fuel at 220 mph (190 kn; 350 km/h)
● Rate of climb: 1,520 ft/min (7.7 m/s) at 5,000 ft (1,500 m) at
maximum weight
● Rate of climb on one engine: 420 ft/min (130 m/min) after
take-off at maximum weight
● 360 ft/min (110 m/min) at 5,000 ft (1,500 m) at maximum
weight
● Wing loading: 43.3 lb/sq ft (211 kg/m2) at 52,000 lb (24,000 kg)
● Power/mass: 0.1 hp/lb (0.16 kW/kg) at 52,000 lb (24,000 kg)
● Take-off distance to 50 ft (15 m): 3,270 ft (1,000 m) at
maximum T.O weight
● Take-off distance to 50 ft (15 m) one engine: 4,950 ft (1,510 m)
at maximum T.O weight
● Landing distance from 50 ft (15 m): 2,565 ft (782 m) at max
landing weight

CREW MEMBERS
The pilot, Captain James Thain, was a former RAF flight
lieutenant. Originally a sergeant (later a warrant
officer), he was given an emergency commission in the
RAF as an acting pilot officer on probation in April
1944, and promoted to pilot officer on probation in
September that year. He was promoted to flight
lieutenant in May 1948, and received a permanent
commission in the same rank in 1952.He retired from
the RAF to join BEA.

The co-pilot, Captain Kenneth Rayment, was also a

former RAF flight lieutenant and a Second World War
flying ace. After joining the RAF in 1940, he was
promoted to sergeant in September 1941. He was
commissioned as a war substantive pilot officer a year
later, and promoted to war substantive flying officer in
May 1943. He shot down five German fighters, one
Italian plane and a V-1 flying bomb. He was awarded
the DFC in July 1943, and promoted to flight lieutenant
in September 1943.After leaving the RAF in 1945, he
joined BOAC in Cairo, before joining BEA in 1947. He
had had experience with Vikings, Dakotas and the
Ambassador "Elizabethan" class.

WHEN ,WHERE ,HOW IT CRASHED

Thain had flown the "Elizabethan"-class Airspeed Ambassador
(registration G-ALZU) to Belgrade but handed the controls to
Rayment for the return. At 14:19 GMT, the control tower at Munich
was told the plane was ready to take off and gave clearance for take-
off, expiring at 14:31. Rayment abandoned the take-off after Thain
noticed the port boost pressure gauge fluctuating as the plane
reached full power and the engine sounded odd while accelerating. A
second attempt was made three minutes later, but called off 40
seconds into the attempt because the engines were running on an
over-rich mixture, causing them to over-accelerate, a common
problem for the "Elizabethan". After the second failure, passengers
retreated to the airport lounge. By then, it had started to snow
heavily, and it looked unlikely that the plane would be making the
return journey that day. Manchester United's Duncan Edwards sent a
telegram to his landlady in Manchester. It read: "All flights cancelled,
flying tomorrow. Duncan."

Thain told the station engineer, Bill Black, about the problem with
the boost surging in the port engine, and Black suggested that since
opening the throttle more slowly had not worked, the only option
was to hold the plane overnight for retuning. Thain was anxious to
stay on schedule and suggested opening the throttle even more
slowly would suffice. This would mean that the plane would not
achieve take-off velocity until further down the runway, but with the
runway almost 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) long, he believed this would not
be a problem. The passengers were called back to the plane 15
minutes after leaving it.

A few of the players were not confident fliers, particularly Liam

Whelan, who said, "This may be death, but I'm ready". Others,
including Duncan Edwards, Tommy Taylor, Mark Jones, Eddie Colman
and journalist Frank Swift, moved to the back of the plane, believing
it safer. Once everyone was on board, Thain and Rayment got the
plane moving again at 14:56. At 14:59, they reached the runway
holding point, where they received clearance to line up ready for
take-off. On the runway, they made final cockpit checks and at 15:02,
they were told their take-off clearance would expire at 15:04. The
pilots agreed to attempt take-off, but that they would watch the
instruments for surging in the engines. At 15:03, they told the control
tower of their decision.

File:1958-02-10 Britain Mourns. Soccer Champs Die In Plane Crash -

small unedited
American newsreel footage reporting the crash
Rayment moved the throttle forward slowly and released the brakes;
the plane began to accelerate, and radio officer Bill Rodgers radioed
the control tower with the message "Zulu Uniform rolling". The plane
threw up slush as it gathered speed, and Thain called out the plane's
velocity in 10-knot increments. At 85 knots, the port engine began to
surge again, and he pulled back marginally on the port throttle
before pushing it forward again. Once the plane reached 117 knots
(217 km/h), he announced "V1", at which it was no longer safe to
abort take-off, and Rayment listened for the call of "V2" (119 knots
(220 km/h)), the minimum required to get off the ground.Thain
expected the speed to rise, but it fluctuated around 117 knots before
suddenly dropping to 112 knots (207 km/h), and then 105 knots (194
km/h). Rayment shouted "Christ, we won't make it!", as Thain looked
up to see what lay ahead.
The plane skidded off the end of the runway, crashed into the fence
surrounding the airport and across a road before its port wing was
torn off as it caught a house, home to a family of six. The father and
eldest daughter were away and the mother and the other three
children escaped as the house caught fire. Part of the plane's tail was
torn off before the left side of the cockpit hit a tree. The right side of
the fuselage hit a wooden hut, inside which was a truck filled with
tyres and fuel, which exploded. Twenty passengers died on board,
and three died later in hospital.

On seeing flames around the cockpit, Thain feared that the aircraft
would explode and told his crew to evacuate the area. The
stewardesses, Rosemary Cheverton and Margaret Bellis, were the
first to leave through a blown-out emergency window in the galley,
followed by radio officer Bill Rodgers. Rayment was trapped in his
seat by the crumpled fuselage and told Thain to go without him.
Thain clambered out of the galley window. On reaching the ground,
he saw flames growing under the starboard wing, which held 500
imperial gallons (2,300 L) of fuel. He shouted to his crew to get away
and climbed back into the aircraft to retrieve two handheld fire
extinguishers, stopping to tell Rayment he would be back when the
fires had been dealt with.

Meanwhile, in the cabin, goalkeeper Harry Gregg was regaining

consciousness, thinking that he was dead. He felt blood on his face
and "didn't dare put [his] hand up. thought the top of [his] head had
been taken off, like a hard-boiled egg." Just above him, light shone
into the cabin, so Gregg kicked the hole wide enough for him to
escape. He also managed to save some passengers, among them
teammates Bobby Charlton and Dennis Violet.
 INVESTIGATION REPORT

What is the main cause of crash?

The crash was originally blamed on pilot error, but it was later found
to have been caused by slush towards the end of the runway,
slowing the aircraft and preventing safe flying speed. During take-off,
the aircraft had reached 117 knots (217 km/h), but, on entering the
slush, dropped to 105 knots (194 km/h), too slow to leave the
ground, with not enough runway to abort the take-off. Aircraft with
tail-wheel undercarriages had not been greatly affected by slush, due
to the geometry of these undercarriages in relation to the aircraft's
centre of gravity,[notes 1] but newer types, such as the Ambassador,
with nose wheel landing-gear and the main wheels behind the centre
of gravity, were found to be vulnerable. The accident resulted in the
imposition of operating limits for the amount of slush build-up
permitted on runways.

Despite this conclusion, the German airport authorities took legal

action against Captain Thain, as the one pilot who had survived the
crash. They claimed he had taken off without clearing the wings of
ice, which caused the crash, despite several witnesses stating that no
ice had been seen. De-icing the aircraft was the captain's
responsibility, while the state of the airport's runways was the
responsibility of the airport authorities, among whom there was
widespread ignorance of the danger of slush on runways for aircraft
such as the Ambassador.

The basis of the German authorities' case relied on the icy condition
of the wing’s hours after the crash and a photograph of the aircraft
(published in several newspapers) taken shortly before take-off, that
appeared to show snow on the upper wing surfaces. When the
original negative was examined, no snow or ice could be seen, the
"snow" in the original having been due to the sun reflecting off the
wings, which was clarified when examining the negative rather than
the published pictures which had been produced from a copy
negative. The witnesses were not called to the German inquiry and
proceedings against Thain dragged on until 1968, when he was finally
cleared of any responsibility for the crash. As the official cause,
British authorities recorded a build-up of melting snow on the
runway which prevented the "Elizabethan" from reaching the
required take-off speed. Thain, having been dismissed by BEA shortly
after the accident and never re-engaged, retired and returned to run
his poultry farm in Berkshire. He died of a heart attack at the age of
53 in August 1975.
SO BASICALLY, THE MAIN THINGS WHAT HAPPENED IN AIRCRAFT
BEFORE TAKE OFF.

TO THE POINT
● ENGINES WAS NOT PROPERLY CHECKED BEFORE THEY TAKE
OFF, boost surging in the left engine

● WINGS OF AIRCRAFT WERE COVERED BY SNOWS WHICH MAY

LEAD TO INPROPER TAKE-OFF.

● During take-off, the aircraft had reached 117 knots (217 km/h),
but on entering the slush, dropped to 105 knots (194 km/h),
too slow to leave the ground, with not enough runway to abort
the take-off. Aircraft with tail-wheel undercarriages had not
been greatly affected by slush, due to the geometry of these
undercarriages in relation to the aircraft's centre of
gravity,[notes 1] but newer types, such as the Ambassador,
with nose wheel landing-gear and the main wheels behind the
centre of gravity, were found to be vulnerable. The accident
resulted in the imposition of operating limits for the amount of
slush build-up permitted on runways.
 PRECAUTIONS.

Before the test pilot tests any aircraft, the manufacturer

makes lot of tests on scale model of an aircraft which is
under manufacturing. They calculate all the speeds required
for take-off, landing, cruise, manoeuvring etc.
They conduct wind-tunnel tests, engines have been tested in
separate units for full thrust to idle power of engines.
When test pilot conducts the test for an airplane, they know
almost all the rough figures, such as speed at which aircraft is
going to take-off and rest of the manoeuvres. When test
pilots test the aircraft, they do so that in the proximity of an
airport, or they keep aircraft at safe altitude in case they
have to glide the aircraft. The testing area itself is planned in
case of complete engine failure, so that they can safely glide
the aircraft.
In case of anything goes wrong, they are almost prepared for
it, because they have gone for all the emergency procedure
training on simulator of aircraft to be flown. The test pilots
mostly are, retired Air-Force pilots or an Aerobatic pilot. They
have all the procedure (Check-List) in case of emergency and
moreover they do simulation for most of the emergencies to
test the response of an aircraft and checks if any correction
needed in emergency check-list.
 SO, WHAT WE UNDERSTAND

● Check all things of aircraft before taking off

● Follow the check list properly before take off
● Be patience wait for the clearance of runway,
according to the investigation captain THAIN denied to
wait and it was third attempt for take off

All these things lead to a disaster, because of these we have

lost a world best football team (MENCHESTER UNITED)
occurred on 06 February 1958.

THANK YOU