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22 June 2003 - Brit Air 5672

Air France flight 5672, the evening flight from Nantes to Brest, departed Nantes about 23.15h. As the Canadair Regional Jet, registration F-GRJS, approached Brest, the crew were cleared for a runway 26L approach. Runway 26L is a 3100m long ILS equipped runway.

During the approach the airplane deviated to the left of the centerline. At first the aircraft was above the glideslope, but then descended below the glideslope. As they further descended below the glideslope (25 seconds before impact), the Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) began to sound. Engine power was added, but it was too late. Flight 5672, with the gear down, touched down in a field and collided with several obstacles before coming to rest 150m further on, at a distance of 2150m from the runway threshold and 450m to the left of the extended centerline.

All occupants, except for the captain were able to evacuate before the aircraft caught fire. The co-pilot and two passengers were injured. The weather at the time of the accident was:

LFRB 222200Z 32009KT 280V360 0800 R26/1400VP1500 FG BKN002 SCT020CB 15/15 Q1008 NOSIG= (wind 320deg at 9kts, varying between 280 and 360 degrees; visibility 800m; Runway Visual Range (RVR) of runway 26 varying between 1400m and 1500m in fog and broken clouds at 200ft.)

PROBABLE CAUSES: "The causes of the accident are as follows:- neglecting to select the APPR mode at the start of the approach, which led to non-capture of the localizer then of the glide slope;
- partial detection of flight path deviations, due to the crew’s focusing on vertical navigation then on horizontal navigation;
- continuing a non-stabilized approach down to the decision altitude.

Lack of communication and co-ordination in the cockpit, and a change of strategy on the part of the Controller in managing the flight were contributing factors."


Transcript of the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR)

Legenda

CPT= Voice identified as Captain
FO= Voice identified as First Officer
RDO-2 = Radio transmission from First Officer
CAM= Unidentified voice
Brest= Brest controller
(*) = Word or sentence not understood
() = Word or sentence uncertain

23:49:31 CPT two thousand indicated
23:49:31 F/O Landing gear ?
23:49:32 CPT Down three green
23:49:33 F/O Flaps ?
23:49:33 CPT 45
23:49:34 F/O Reverse ?
23:49:35 CPT Armed
23:49:35 Brest Echo Charlie Cleared to land on 26 left, 320 degrees 8 to 15 knots cloudbase at the moment less than 10 feet
23:49:45 RDO-2 Roger so uuuh... we maintain runway 26 left uuh Echo Charlie
23:49:51 Brest And the RVR 800 metres and 900 metres
23:49:54 RDO-2 Roger
23:49:56 F/O Oh shit, we don't have....
23:50:03 CPT (*) (*)
23:50:09 F/O Ah, damned!
23:50:11 CPT Ah, we didn't take it?
23:50:14 F/O Heading
23:50:14 CPT (*) (*)
23:50:17 CPT Oh we'll see, eh?
23:50:19 F/O Yes yes yes... absolutely
23:50:19 CPT (*) 100 feet is OK
23:50:21 F/O Absolutely
23:50:21 F/O You're taking the thing again. You want me to put in approach?
23:50:24 CPT Euh…no no that's what's going to teach me, eh. Do we need to pass below?
23:50:29 F/O Ah no we shouldn't pass there (*)
23:50:32 CPT 1500 initially
23:50:32 F/O There, it's coming back in
23:50:43 F/O There
23:50:45 CPT Approach is selected Loc and Glide
23:50:48 F/O Yes
23:50:52 CPT Less to the right
23:50:54 F/O Less
23:50:56 CPT (*) to the right]
23:50:58 GPWS Five Hundred
23:50:59 GPWS Glide slope
23:51:02 GPWS Sink Rate
23:51:04 GPWS Sink Rate (and autopilot disconnection sound)
23:51:05 GPWS Three Hundred
23:51:07 GPWS Glide slope
23:51:08 GPWS Glide slope
23:51:09 GPWS Glide slope
23:51:11 F/O Yeah (*) go right
23:51:11 GPWS Glide slope
23:51:12 CPT yeah
23:51:12 GPWS Glide slope
23:51:13 F/O (go) right
23:51:13 GPWS Glide slope
23:51:14 GPWS Glide slope
23:51:15 GPWS One Hundred
23:51:16 CAM I have nothing in front of me
23:51:16 CAM Go around
23:51:19 F/O Go around
23:51:20 GPWS Sink Rate
23:51:21 GPWS Pull Up
23:51:22 F/O (Go around)
23:51:22   Sound of impact

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