Luxair Flight 9642
Wreckage of Flight 9642 | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 6 November 2002 |
| Summary | Pilot error aggravated by inclement weather and in-flight thrust reverse following by Technical issues |
| Site | Niederanven, near Luxembourg Findel Airport, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg 49°39′21″N 6°16′26″E / 49.65583°N 6.27389°E |
| Aircraft | |
| LX-LGB, the aircraft involved in the accident, in 2000 | |
| Aircraft type | Fokker 50 |
| Operator | Luxair |
| IATA flight No. | LG9642 |
| ICAO flight No. | LGL9642 |
| Call sign | LUXAIR 9642 |
| Registration | LX-LGB |
| Flight origin | Berlin Tempelhof Airport, Berlin, Germany |
| Destination | Luxembourg Findel Airport, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg |
| Passengers | 19 |
| Crew | 3 |
| Fatalities | 20 |
| Injuries | 2 |
| Survivors | 2 |
Luxair Flight 9642 (LG9642/LGL9642) was a scheduled international passenger flight from Berlin Tempelhof Airport, Germany, to Luxembourg Findel Airport, Luxembourg, operated by Luxembourg's national airline Luxair. On 6 November 2002, the aircraft operating the flight, a Fokker 50 registered as LX-LGB, lost control and crashed onto a field during an attempted landing at the airport. Out of 22 passengers and crew members on board, only two people survived. The crash is the deadliest aviation disaster to occur in Luxembourg and the only fatal accident in Luxair's history.
Luxembourg's Administration for Technical Investigations (AET) concluded that the crash was caused by pilot error. The crew decided to accept the approach clearance that had been given by the ATC even though they had not conducted enough preparation for the landing, leading the crew to conduct a series of improvised actions. Their actions led to the override of a certain safety feature that would have prevented the propellers from entering the reverse angle, enabling the propellers to enter the reverse angle in flight and led to the lost control situation.: 61–62
The result of the investigation highlighted the possible safety risk regarding the protection system against an accidental deployment of reverse angle in turboprops during mid-flight, prompting Fokker to issue a mandatory modification on the safety feature.: 63–65