Description

On 6 March 2003, a Boeing 737-200 being operated by Air Algerie had just become airborne during a daylight departure when the left hand engine suddenly failed just after the PF had called for “gear up”. Shortly afterwards, the aircraft commander, who had been PNF for the departure, took control but the normal pitch attitude was not reduced to ensure that a minimum airspeed of V2 was maintained and landing gear was not retracted. The aircraft lost airspeed, stalled and impacted the ground approximately 1nm from the point at which it had become airborne. A severe post crash fire occurred and the aircraft was destroyed and all on board except one passenger, were killed.

The Investigation

The Accident Investigation was carried out by a specially established Commission of Inquiry. The Final Report of this Commission stated that “The accident was caused by the loss of an engine during a critical phase of flight, the non-retraction of the landing gear after the engine failure, and the Captain, the PNF, taking over control of the airplane before having clearly identified the problem.”

It is also stated in the Final Report that “The following factors probably contributed to the accident: