”Swiss investigators have concluded, in a damning inquiry, that a Junkers Ju 52 on a pleasure flight stalled after the crew flew it into a narrow valley at low altitude, at a dangerously low airspeed and with its centre-of-gravity out of limits.
The crew intended to exit the valley via a pass and there was “no possibility” of an alternative flightpath, says the inquiry. Vulnerable to updraughts and downdraughts from turbulence in the area, the aircraft stalled as it entered a turn, from which it had no margin to recover.
None of the 20 occupants survived the accident after the aircraft entered an Alps valley basin near Piz Segnas. It performed a left turn which developed into a downward spiral and the three-engined aircraft dived into the ground.
“The flight crew was accustomed to not complying with recognised rules for safe flight operations and taking high risks,” says Swiss investigation authority SUST, in its analysis of the 4 August 2018 accident.
SUST says the operator, Ju-Air, failed to identify or prevent “frequent violation of rules” by its crews, adding that “numerous” incidents, several of them serious, were “not reported” to authorities.
The inquiry’s reconstruction of the accident showed that the centre-of-gravity was 2.07m behind the wing’s leading edge at the time.
SUST says this means the aircraft was operating with its aft centre-of-gravity beyond the limit of 2.06m determined by the manufacturer.
“This situation facilitated the loss of control,” it states.”
Video flightpath simulation included in link
https://www.flightglobal.com/safety/ju-52-fatal-crash-probe-uncovers-at…
By: trumper - 29th January 2021 at 14:40
🙁 Got away with it until it became normal , then – – – 🙁
By: John Green - 29th January 2021 at 13:18
The melancholy effects of the “Graveyard Glide”. May well feature in the accident statistics till the end of time.
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January 29, 2021 at 11:23 am