TAROM Flight 3107
Encyclopedia
TAROM Flight 3107 was a charter flight operated by a Boeing 737-300 that, on 30 December 2007, during the takeoff procedure, hit a service car carrying out repair work on lighting equipment on the runway at Henri Coandă International Airport
in Otopeni
, Romania
.
's main Otopeni
airport to the holiday destination Sharm el-Sheikh
's main airport
in Egypt
. Just before 11:00 in the morning a team of maintenance workers entered runway
08R at OTP to do maintenance work on the runway's center lights. The maintenance team consisted of four workers and two vehicles. Two of the workers were working at about 600 meters from the threshold and the other two workers were working at about 1500 meters from the threshold. Visibility at the time was poor due to thick fog.
At 10:49 the maintenance team contacted the control tower in order to get approval for starting the cleaning operations of the center lights. Just under ten minutes later, the tower approves the start of the work. At one point, the workers were required to leave the runway to allow an aircraft to takeoff, but they were cleared to begin work again shortly afterwards.
Then, at 11:25:13 flight 3107, was cleared to enter runway 08R for takeoff, and just over a minute later they were cleared to lift off. Between 11:26:40 and 11:26:50 the control tower
asked the maintenance workers if the runway was clear but got no reply. At 11:27:04, accelerating for takeoff, at a speed of about 90 kts, the Boeing 737 hit a car 600 meters past the runway threshold with the number 1 engine and with the left landing gear
.
The aircraft ran off the left side of the runway and came to rest 137 meters left of the center line and 950 meters from the threshold.
Nicolae Ghinescu, the pilot in command
of Flight 3107, who had over twenty two years of flying experience, told journalists that "during the takeoff procedure, after 400 or 500 meters, we met a car-obstacle, and we could not avoid it." he said. "The car was unsignalized nor had beacons lit, and two people tried to move the car to clear the runway, but it was too late".
, being damaged beyond repair following collision with the maintenance car and veering off the runway. The fuselage was taken to Velbert, Germany and the cockpit will be converted into a 737 cabin simulator. The crash was the 17th loss of a Boeing 737-300.
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Henri Coanda International Airport
Henri Coandă International Airport is Romania's busiest international airport, located northwest of the city of Bucharest, within Otopeni city limits. One of two airports serving the Romanian capital, the other being Băneasa, it is named after Romanian flight pioneer Henri Coandă, builder of...
in Otopeni
Otopeni
Otopeni is a town in Ilfov County, Romania, some north of Bucharest along the road to Ploieşti. It has 10,215 inhabitants, of which 99.0% are Romanians. One village, Odăile, is administered by the town....
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
.
Accident
Flight 3107 was a charter flight from BucharestBucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
's main Otopeni
Henri Coanda International Airport
Henri Coandă International Airport is Romania's busiest international airport, located northwest of the city of Bucharest, within Otopeni city limits. One of two airports serving the Romanian capital, the other being Băneasa, it is named after Romanian flight pioneer Henri Coandă, builder of...
airport to the holiday destination Sharm el-Sheikh
Sharm el-Sheikh
Sharm el-Sheikh is a city situated on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, in South Sinai Governorate, Egypt, on the coastal strip along the Red Sea. Its population is approximately 35,000...
's main airport
Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport
Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport , formerly known as Ophira International Airport, is an international airport located in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt...
in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. Just before 11:00 in the morning a team of maintenance workers entered runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
08R at OTP to do maintenance work on the runway's center lights. The maintenance team consisted of four workers and two vehicles. Two of the workers were working at about 600 meters from the threshold and the other two workers were working at about 1500 meters from the threshold. Visibility at the time was poor due to thick fog.
At 10:49 the maintenance team contacted the control tower in order to get approval for starting the cleaning operations of the center lights. Just under ten minutes later, the tower approves the start of the work. At one point, the workers were required to leave the runway to allow an aircraft to takeoff, but they were cleared to begin work again shortly afterwards.
Then, at 11:25:13 flight 3107, was cleared to enter runway 08R for takeoff, and just over a minute later they were cleared to lift off. Between 11:26:40 and 11:26:50 the control tower
Control tower
A control tower, or more specifically an Air Traffic Control Tower , is the name of the airport building from which the air traffic control unit controls the movement of aircraft on and around the airport. Control towers are also used to control the traffic for other forms of transportation such...
asked the maintenance workers if the runway was clear but got no reply. At 11:27:04, accelerating for takeoff, at a speed of about 90 kts, the Boeing 737 hit a car 600 meters past the runway threshold with the number 1 engine and with the left landing gear
Undercarriage
The undercarriage or landing gear in aviation, is the structure that supports an aircraft on the ground and allows it to taxi, takeoff and land...
.
The aircraft ran off the left side of the runway and came to rest 137 meters left of the center line and 950 meters from the threshold.
Nicolae Ghinescu, the pilot in command
Pilot in command
The pilot in command of an aircraft is the person aboard the aircraft who is ultimately responsible for its operation and safety during flight. This would be the "captain" in a typical two- or three-pilot flight crew, or "pilot" if there is only one certified and qualified pilot at the controls of...
of Flight 3107, who had over twenty two years of flying experience, told journalists that "during the takeoff procedure, after 400 or 500 meters, we met a car-obstacle, and we could not avoid it." he said. "The car was unsignalized nor had beacons lit, and two people tried to move the car to clear the runway, but it was too late".
Aftermath
The Boeing 737 used for flight 3107 was written-offWrite-off
The term write-off describes a reduction in recognized value. In accounting terminology, it refers to recognition of the reduced or zero value of an asset. In income tax statements, it refers to a reduction of taxable income as recognition of certain expenses required to produce the income...
, being damaged beyond repair following collision with the maintenance car and veering off the runway. The fuselage was taken to Velbert, Germany and the cockpit will be converted into a 737 cabin simulator. The crash was the 17th loss of a Boeing 737-300.
See also
- List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft
- Air safetyAir safetyAir safety is a term encompassing the theory, investigation and categorization of flight failures, and the prevention of such failures through regulation, education and training. It can also be applied in the context of campaigns that inform the public as to the safety of air travel.-United...
External links
- Preliminary report at Realiatea.netRealitatea-CatavencuThe Realitatea-Caţavencu trust is a Romanian group of media companies, owned by Sorin-Ovidiu Vântu . It was founded when Vântu bought the Caţavencu media group, who, as they declared, at that time it was unable do develop further by itself...
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