6 November 2002 - Luxair 9642
On 6 November 2002, LX-LGB, a Fokker F50 aircraft, crashed while on final approach to the airport about 6 nautical miles (11 km) short of the runway while trying to land in the fog. 20 out of 22 passengers and crew perished.
Luxair flight 9642 departed Berlin-Tempelhof at 07:40 for a flight back to Luxembourg and climbed to a cruising altitude of FL180. At 08:50 Frankfurt control cleared the crew to descend to FL090 and told them to contact Luxembourg Approach control. Contact was established at 08:52 and Luxembourg Approach replied: "Luxair niner six four two enter Diekirch holding at flight level niner zero it will be vectors later on for an ILS approach category two on two four. QNH is one zero two tree current RVR beginning two five zero on mid section two seven five, stop end two two five.". Six minutes later the controller cleared LG9642 to descend further down to 3000 feet.
At 09:01 the flight was cleared for the approach: "Luxair niner six four two turn right heading two two zero to intercept. Cleared for approach, report established on the localizer." After passing the localizer the crew contacted Luxembourg Tower and reported being established on a runway 24 ILS approach. The tower controller then passed on the runway visual range (RVR) information, which had not changed. The crew reported that they needed 300 metres for the approach, to which the controller replied : "Nine six four two copied, uh, so continue approach I keep you advised. We didn't have three hundred, uh, during the last, uh, time.". The approach was continued, but at 09:04:46 the captain decided to discountine the approach: "Yo, bon mir machen en goaround, missed approach". The co-pilot then said: "Ground idle stop off". Four seconds after this statement the Tower controller reported the RVR to be 300 metres. Immediately engine power was reduced to idle and the co-pilot radioed: "Nine six four two roger so we continue". The tower then cleared the flight to land. The gear and flaps were lowered and at 09:05:17 the left prop blade angle changed from 'normal' to 'low pitch', causing the pilot to say:"Wat ass dat" (What's that??). Almost immediately the right prop blade angle also went into low pitch. The flaps were raised and several sounds and exclamations were recorded by the CVR including the decrease in propeller revolutions and GPWS warnings. Both engines then failed as the Fokker descended. The airplane collided with terrain and caught fire.
The cause of the crash was determined to be crew error caused by aborting a "go-around" after being informed by tower of an increase in visibility. A series of non-standard actions resulted in severe loss of airspeed, due to the propeller blades being accidentally switched into reverse position, and subsequent impact short of the runway. Contributing to the accident were errors concerning the implementation of a security recommendation which had been made by the manufacturer to Fokker 50 operators. Also this warning was not adequately communicated to the flight crews of Luxair.
Transcript of the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR)
| 08 h 33 min 49 | Start of recording | |
| 09 h 01 min 25 | ATC |
Niner six four two turn right heading two two zero to intercept cleared for approach report established on the localizer |
| 09 h 01 min 31 | F/O | Right heading two two zero. And euh cleared approach and we call you established on the localizer nine six four two |
| 09 h 01 min 42 | F/O | Oh gosh, they bring us in before all the others |
| 09 h 01 min 44 | F/O | They bring us in before everybody |
| 09 h 01 min 58 | F/O | Should we switch on the seat belt? |
| 09 h 02 min 00 | CPT | Yes Yes this wouldn't be a bad idea |
| 09 h 02 min 02 | CPT | We must here for the approach .....ehhhh |
| 09 h 02 min 04 | CPT | 100 feet |
| 09 h 02 min 07 | F/O | Yes, I already dialled that in |
| 09 h 02 min 09 | CPT | Localizer alive and captured |
| F/O | Checked | |
| F/O | Missed approach heading | |
| 09 h 02 min 12 | CPT | Tell him, I would rather say as a matter of fairness, that if at Echo we don't have 300 meters, that we then do a go-around and fly to Diekirch |
| 09 h 02 min 32 | F/O | The Lux euh nine six four two is now established on the localizer |
| 09 h 02 min 37 | ATC | Luxair niner six four two contact tower on one one eight decimal one, addi Addi = good-bye |
| 09 h 02 min 41 | F/O | Eighteen one nine six four two , addi |
| 09 h 02 min 51 | F/O | Tower, good morning, nine six four two is established ILS two four |
| 09 h 02 min 52 | CVR | Noise resembling a seat movement |
| 09 h 02 min 57 | ATC | Luxair nine six four two good morning continue approach. The wind is calm RVR beginning two five zero meters, mid section two five zero meters, stop end two two five meters |
| CPT | Oh, this doesnt bring a thing | |
| 09 h 03 min 07 | CPT | Oh, this doesnt bring a thing |
| 09 h 03 min 08 | F/O | Euh’ that's copied Luxair nine six four two’ but euh we need three hundred meters for the approach |
| 09 h 03 min 16 | CPT | Say, we continue up to ELU, if then we have nothing, then ehhhhh |
| 09 h 03 min 18 | F/O | Yes |
| ATC | Nine six four two copied’ euh so continue approach and I'll keep you advised we didn't have three hundred euh’ euh during the last time | |
| 09 h 03 min 26 | CPT | Oh |
| 09 h 03 min 28 | F/O | Euh Roger nine six four two we keep you advised we're proceeding to ELU now and ’ euh standing by nine six four two |
| CVR | C chord | |
| 09 h 03 min 38 | ATC | Roger’ and euh we have ehhh zero degrees wind |
| 09 h 03 min 42 | F/O | Roger |
| 09 h 03 min 43 | ATC | .......schen , zero knots |
| 09 h 03 min 44 | F/O | Roger |
| 09 h 04 min 09 | CPT | Now, are we beacon, hey not yet, it is 5,5 DME |
| 09 h 04 min 16 | F/O | Then one must select a beacon first, lad |
| 09 h 04 min 18 | CPT | Yes. but I do have a DME |
| 09 h 04 min 19 | CVR | Laugh |
| 09 h 04 min 23 | CVR | Laugh |
| 09 h 04 min 33 | F/O | Three thousand sixty top |
| 09 h 04 min 35 | CPT | Checked |
| 09 h 04 min 36 | F/O | Landing altitude and briefing completed, altimeters euh set |
| 09 h 04 min 40 | F/O | Speed ninety five one oh five one oh nine. Landing altitude |
| 09 h 04 min 43 | CPT | Two seven five meters |
| 09 h 04 min 44 | F/O | Set |
| 09 h 04 min 46 | CPT | Yes, well we do a go-around, missed approach |
| 09 h 04 min 53 | F/O | Ground idle stop off |
| 09 h 04 min 57 | ATC | Luxair nine six four two, RVR three hundred meters two seven five meters stop end two meters stop end two seven five meters |
| 09 h 04 min 58 | CVR | Noises similar to the displacement of the Ground Idle Stop |
| 09 h 05 min 00 | CVR | Variation of the turbine rotational speed |
| 09 h 05 min 00 | CVR | Noise similar to moving the power levers to Flight Idle |
| 09 h 05 min 02 | F/O | ......won't work |
| 09 h 05 min 05 | F/O | Nine six four two roger so we continue |
| 09 h 05 min 07 | F/O | Flaps? |
| 09 h 05 min 08 | CPT | Oh we are flaps ten |
| ATC | Nine six four two you're cleared to land wind one eight zero degrees ....knots | |
| 09 h 05 min 09 | CVR | Noise similar to moving the flap selector |
| 09 h 05 min 11 | CVR | Noise similar to selecting Taxi Light |
| 09 h 05 min 11 | F/O | Gear down? |
| 09 h 05 min 12 | CPT | Yes |
| 09 h 05 min 13 | F/O | Clear to land nine six four two |
| 09 h 05 min 16 | CVR | Noise similar to selecting gear down followed by the gear extension noises |
| 09 h 05 min 16 | F/O | This will rather be...... |
| 09 h 05 min 17 | CVR | Increase of propeller speed |
| 09 h 05 min 19 | CVR | (Noise) |
| CPT | What's that | |
| 09 h 05 min 21 | CVR | Noise similar to flaps selection |
| 09 h 05 min 21 | CVR | Noise similar to a propeller speed variation |
| 09 h 05 min 22 | CPT | (Exclamation - questioning) |
| 09 h 05 min 22 | CPT | Oh shit |
| 09 h 05 min 23 | CVR | Noise similar to electric transfer |
| 09 h 05 min 23 | CVR | Single Chime |
| 09 h 05 min 26 | CVR | Noise similar to a propeller speed reduction |
| 09 h 05 min 27 | CVR | (Noise) |
| 09 h 05 min 27 | CVR | Start of GPWS alarm » Terrain |
| 09 h 05 min 28 | CVR | Recording stops (1/3 s) |
| 09 h 05 min 28 | F/O | This has been a shrewed stuff |
| -- | The recorded portion from 05 min 28 s 00 until the noise of electric transfer at 05 min 28 s 90 is a recorded portion from the beginning of the CVR and not newly overwritten | |
| 09 h 05 min 28 | CVR | Noise similar to electric transfer |
| 09 h 05 min 29 | F/O | (Heavy breathing) Oh shit |
| 09 h 05 min 40 | Restart of recording | |
| -- | The recorded portion from 05 min 40 s 10 until the noise of electric transfer at 05 min 40 s 80 is a recorded portion from the beginning of the CVR and not newly overwritten. | |
| 09 h 05 min 40 | CVR | Noise similar to electric transfer |
| 09 h 05 min 41 | ATC | Ready for push back next, Mike Kilo Alpha one two three |
| 09 h 05 min 41 | CVR | Double Chime (two Single Chimes separated by 0.7 second) |
| 09 h 05 min 44 | End of recording |
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