ASN Aircraft accident Canadair CL-600-2B19 Regional Jet CRJ-100ER EW-101PJ Yerevan-Zvartnots Airport (EVN)
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Status:Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Date:Thursday 14 February 2008
Time:04:19
Type:Silhouette image of generic CRJ1 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Canadair CL-600-2B19 Regional Jet CRJ-100ER
Operator:Belavia
Registration: EW-101PJ
MSN: 7316
First flight: 1999
Total airframe hrs:15563
Cycles:14352
Engines: 2 General Electric CF34-3A1
Crew:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3
Passengers:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 18
Total:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 21
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Aircraft fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:Yerevan-Zvartnots Airport (EVN) (   Armenia)
Crash site elevation: 865 m (2838 feet) amsl
Phase: Takeoff (TOF)
Nature:International Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport:Yerevan-Zvartnots Airport (EVN/UDYZ), Armenia
Destination airport:Minsk-2 International Airport (MSQ/UMMS), Belarus
Flightnumber:1834
Narrative:
A Canadair CRJ100ER passenger jet, operated by Belavia, was destroyed when crashed and burned on takeoff from Yerevan-Zvartnots Airport (EVN), Armenia. All three crew members and eighteen passengers survived the accident.
The airplane arrived as flight BRU1833 from Minsk-2 International Airport (MSQ), Belarus at 02:05.
Refueling was carried out in preparation for the return flight and the crew conducted the flight planning. After refueling the pilot carried out a tactile and visual inspection of all critical surfaces of the wing and visual inspection of the tail assembly. All the planes were clean and dry.
The weather reported for the 04:00 was: wind 110 degrees at the ground 1 m/sec, visibility 3500 meters, haze, small clouds, vertical visibility of 800 meters, scattered clouds at 3000 m, a temperature of minus 3° C, dew point minus 4° C, pressure 1019 hPa.
At 04:08 both engines were started. The engine air intake heating (cowl anti-ice) was switched on but the wing anti-icing system was not switched on. The crew taxied to runway 27 and were cleared for departure.
During takeoff the airplane progressively banked left until the left wing tip contacted runway. The airplane went off the side with the airplane rolling the right. The right hand wing broke off and spilled fuel caught fire. The airplane came to rest upside down.

Probable Cause:

CONCLUSION (translated from Russian):
The accident involving aircraft CRJ-100LR registration number EW-101PJ was the result of an asymmetric loss of lift of the wing during take-off, which led to the toppling of the aircraft immediately after liftoff from the runway, the left wing tip contacting the ground, the subsequent destruction and fire.
The reason for the loss of lift of the wing at the actual weather conditions, was the formation of frost, which "pollutes" the surface of the wing. The cause of formation of frost, most likely, was the fuel icing, while the aircraft was parked at the airport and during taxiing for the return flight, resulting in a difference in temperature of the surrounding air and cold fuel in the tanks after the flight.
The situation could be aggravated when exceeding the values recommended by the operations manual of the angular velocity when lifting the nose wheel during takeoff with "contaminated" wings when it is impossible to monitor this parameter instrumentally.
Existing procedural methods of control of the aerodynamic surfaces of the aircraft before departure, along with the inefficiency, during takeoff, the existing system of protection from stalling due to increased sensitivity of the wing, even to a slight contamination of the leading edge, can not fully guarantee the prevention of similar accidents in future.
An Airworthiness Directive on the need to include anti-icing systems on the wing in the final stage of taxiing at the actual weather conditions was issued by Transport Canada after the accident. This probably could have prevented the accident.

Classification:
Loss of control

Sources:
» MAK Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC)
» Reuters
» Belavia press release


Follow-up / safety actions

TC issued 2 Airworthiness Directives

Show all...

Photos

photo of Canadair-CRJ-100ER-EW-101PJ
accident date: 14-02-2008
type: Canadair CRJ-100ER
registration: EW-101PJ
photo of Canadair-CRJ-100ER-EW-101PJ
accident date: 14-02-2008
type: Canadair CRJ-100ER
registration: EW-101PJ
photo of Canadair-CRJ-100ER-EW-101PJ
accident date: 14-02-2008
type: Canadair CRJ-100ER
registration: EW-101PJ
 

Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Yerevan-Zvartnots Airport to Minsk-2 International Airport as the crow flies is 1945 km (1215 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.

This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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CRJ100

  • 1054+ built
  • 9th loss
» safety profile

 Armenia
  • 15th worst accident
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