Description

On 30 July 1997, an Airbus A300-600 being operated by Emirates Airline was departing on a scheduled passenger flight from Paris Charles de Gaulle in daylight when, as the aircraft was accelerating at 40 kts during the take off roll, it pitched up and its tail touched the ground violently. The crew abandoned the takeoff and returned to the parking area. The tail of the aircraft was damaged due to the impact with the runway when the plane pitched up.

The Investigation

The French Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses (BEA) carried out the Accident Investigation. Their Final Report stated that “during the center of gravity calculations, made with the aid of a computer system, an incorrect value had been recorded. This had led to the aircraft being loaded and fuel being transferred so as to produce an actual center of gravity (C of G) well aft of the maximum limit authorized by the manufacturer”.

It was found that “the incident occurred due to the incorrect distribution of weight in the aircraft, causing a C of G a long way aft of the authorised limit. This distribution was the consequence of an error in entering the dry operating index at the beginning of the process of calculating the loadsheet, an error which was not subsequently detected.

The following four Safety Recommendations were made in the Report: