The private jet which crashed
killing three members of Osama bin Laden's family in Surrey was going '40 per
cent too fast' during its landing, a report has concluded.
The Saudi-registered Phenom 300 went off the end of the runway
as it arrived at Blackbushe Airport before becoming airborne again and then
collided with several parked cars.
The passengers
and pilot survived the impact, but died as a result of a fire which began after
the wing separated from the fuselage.
The Air Accidents
Investigation Branch (AAIB) report found that the pilot's ability to adapt and
take on new information as he was landing was impeded due to a "very high
workload situation".
All three passengers
were members of bin Laden's family.
They were his
stepmother, Raja Bashir Hashem, 75, her daughter, Sana bin Laden, 53, and
another relative, Zouheir Anuar Hashem, 56.
The Jordanian pilot
was 58-year-old Mazen Salim Alqasim.
The AAIB's report into
the accident described how the plane took a steep descent which was
"significantly above the normal profile" as it approached the
airport, after manoeuvring out of the path of a microlight.
This picture which
appeared on social media is reportedly Sana bin Laden
The light aircraft
belonging to the Bin Laden family that was involved in a crash near Blackbushe
Airport
Mr Algasim attempted
to deploy the jet's "speedbrakes", which can increase drag, but they
remained retracted as the flaps on the wing were deployed.
As the plane flew over
the start of the runway it was travelling at 151 knots indicated airspeed
(kias), 40% faster than the target of 108 kias.
"The excessive
speed contributed to a touchdown 710 metres beyond the threshold, with only 438
metres of paved surfaced remaining," the AAIB said.
"From touchdown
... it was no longer possible for the aircraft to stop within the remaining
runway length."
Crash investigators
inspect the site of an airplane crash at the British Car Auctions lot next to
Blackbushe Airport, (Photo: Reuters)
All four people on
board were killed (Photo: PA)
The AAIB said the
pilot may have been aware of the high speed but believed the landing could be
achieved, or he may not have appreciated how fast he was flying, perhaps
because he was "fixated on landing".
Investigators found
that the pilot's "mental capacity could have become saturated" after
being exposed to 66 audio warnings, instructions and messages during the three
minutes and 32 seconds before reaching the start of the runway.
The report stated:
"It is possible that in these circumstances the pilot ... fixated on his
initial strategy - landing - and lacked the mental capacity to recognise that
the approach had become unstable and should be discontinued."
No technical defects
were discovered with the aircraft, the pilot was not found to have any
substances in his body which would have reduced his performance and the weather
was good, the AAIB noted.
Osama Bin Laden (Photo: Getty)
Bin Laden, who claimed
responsibility for the September 11 2001 attacks in the United States, is
believed to have had more than 50 brothers and sisters and many stepmothers.
His billionaire
father, Mohammed, founded a sprawling construction conglomerate awarded many
major building contracts in the Sunni kingdom.
He died in a plane
crash in Saudi Arabia in 1967.
The bin Laden family
disowned Osama in 1994 when Saudi Arabia stripped him of his citizenship
because of his militant activities.
The al Qaida leader
was killed by US special forces in Pakistan in 2011.
0 comments:
Post a Comment