Aer Lingus Flight 328

Aer Lingus Flight 328

Aircraft involved in this incident, Short 360, from the airline Aer Lingus.
Accident
Date	January 31, 1986 (1986-01-31)
Summary	Ground collision
Site	Birmingham Metropolitan Area, UK
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Shorts 360
Operator	Aer Lingus
Registration	El-BEM
Destination	East Midlands Airport, UK
Passengers	33
Crew	3
Fatalities	0
Injuries	1 (indirect)
Missing	0
Survivors	36

Aer Lingus Flight 328 was a flight operated by Aer Lingus. There were 36 people in the flight, 33 passengers and three crew. On 5:25 p.m. on January 31, 1986, the aircraft launched from Dublin Airport. Upon launching, the aircraft encountered ice. A few hours later, the aircraft started tilting sharply, then, it decreased until it went down and crashed to a field. One serious injury was reported from a fireman, but most of the passengers sustained no injuries.

Background

Aircraft

The aircraft type was a Short 360. It had a total of 3226 flight hours.

Passengers

The flight contained 36 people–33 passengers and three crew. There was one pilot, with a total of 7528 total flying hours and 123 hours on this aircraft type; respectively, and one co-pilot; with 4299 total flight hours and 1240 hours on this type.

Flight

Just before the flight launched, there was a pre-flight briefing, where they discovered that; at the destination airport, the precision radar. The weather was relatively icy, with a possibility of ice when flying into clouds. The flight launched on 5:25 p.m. on January 31, 1986, with a path from Dublin Airport to East Midlands Airport. They tested the tested the de-icing system during the flight. After a bad flight, they were instructed to descend to 3,000 feet (910 metres). Then, ice was heard striking the aircraft, though the pilots didn't see any ice. Finally, the descent was initiated to about 1,000 ft (300 m).

Crash

When the aircraft descended, it rolled sharply to the left. The rolls continued for 30 seconds, increasing. The pilot thought that the aircraft would roll sharply to its back, until the twists decreased. Then, the aircraft suddenly went faster down until it hit a power cable. A passenger reported sparks, from which he thought originated from the power cable. It hit another cable, until stopping at a barley field. No fire was reported, and the aircraft was relatively undamaged. Most of the passengers left with minor injuries, with some sustaining cuts and bruises. One person was hospitalized overnight indirectly after he rushed to the scene of the crash as a fireman.

Aftermath and investigation

Rescuers were reportedly amazed from the small crash. The local Civil aviation authority started an investigation to the crash. A report stated that the probable cause was the collection of airframe ice, causing the aircraft to be unstable. Other factors included turbulence, and lack of vision at night, causing the ice to be unnoticed.