PauknAir Flight 4101
Encyclopedia
PauknAir Flight 4101 was a British Aerospace
BAe 146
that crashed on a flight from Málaga
, Spain to the Spanish North African exclave
of Melilla
. All 38 passengers and crew on board the aircraft were killed in the accident.
airport at 9:23 AM. On board were 34 passengers and a crew of four. The flight proceeded normally, without any problems and with normal weather conditions for those hours of the morning.
The descent began at 9:41. In the area of Cape Tres Forcas
(the headland on which Melilla is situated), low visibility is common, as clouds accumulate between the valleys formed by the steep mountains of the cape. The descent continued in Instrument meteorological conditions
. In communications with Air traffic control, the pilot complained of the fog. Some of his last words were: "I see nothing".
At 9:49, there were two Terrain awareness and warning system
signals in the cockpit of "terrain", which indicates that the aircraft was too low.
Reportedly also affected:
British Aerospace
British Aerospace plc was a UK aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was in the Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire...
BAe 146
BAe 146
The British Aerospace 146 is a medium-sized commercial airliner formerly manufactured in the United Kingdom by British Aerospace, later part of BAE Systems. Production ran from 1983 until 2002. Manufacture of an improved version known as the Avro RJ began in 1992...
that crashed on a flight from Málaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
, Spain to the Spanish North African exclave
Enclave and exclave
In political geography, an enclave is a territory whose geographical boundaries lie entirely within the boundaries of another territory.An exclave, on the other hand, is a territory legally or politically attached to another territory with which it is not physically contiguous.These are two...
of Melilla
Melilla
Melilla is a autonomous city of Spain and an exclave on the north coast of Morocco. Melilla, along with the Spanish exclave Ceuta, is one of the two Spanish territories located in mainland Africa...
. All 38 passengers and crew on board the aircraft were killed in the accident.
The aircraft
The aircraft made its first flight in 1983 and was the seventh BAe 146 built. PauknAir had been operating the aircraft since it was established and was the second operator of the aircraft since it was built.Accident
The aircraft took off from runway 14 at Malaga's Pablo Ruiz Picasso AirportMálaga Airport
Málaga Airport , also known as Malaga Costa Del Sol Airport and Pablo Ruiz Picasso Airport, is the fourth busiest airport in Spain after Madrid-Barajas, Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca. It is an important airport for Spanish tourism as it is the main international airport serving the Costa Del Sol....
airport at 9:23 AM. On board were 34 passengers and a crew of four. The flight proceeded normally, without any problems and with normal weather conditions for those hours of the morning.
The descent began at 9:41. In the area of Cape Tres Forcas
Cape Tres Forcas
Cape Tres Forcas is the commonly used Anglicized name for a headland on the Mediterranean coast of Morocco and Spain.The Catalan name , the French Name , and the Arabic name all signify the same thing, the Cape of Three Forks.The cape is a large mountainous promontory of North Africa into the...
(the headland on which Melilla is situated), low visibility is common, as clouds accumulate between the valleys formed by the steep mountains of the cape. The descent continued in Instrument meteorological conditions
Instrument meteorological conditions
Instrument meteorological conditions is an aviation flight category that describes weather conditions that require pilots to fly primarily by reference to instruments, and therefore under Instrument Flight Rules , rather than by outside visual references under Visual Flight Rules . Typically, this...
. In communications with Air traffic control, the pilot complained of the fog. Some of his last words were: "I see nothing".
At 9:49, there were two Terrain awareness and warning system
Terrain awareness and warning system
A terrain awareness and warning system aims to prevent "Controlled Flight Into Terrain" accidents. The actual systems in current use are known as ground proximity warning system and enhanced GPWS. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration developed the TAWS term to encompass all current and...
signals in the cockpit of "terrain", which indicates that the aircraft was too low.
Causes
The main causes were:- The poor visibility of the area;
- A greater than allowable blood alcohol level of the pilot.
Reportedly also affected:
- The presence in the cabin of a passenger, which could influence the behavior of male commanders;
- A carefree state of the crew to the situation.