Bombardier CRJ-100ER accident today in Rwanda . . . PHOTO

[robbreid]

Aircraft involved was 5Y-JLD c/n 7197 a 12 year old CRJ-100ER

KIGALI, RWANDA (BNO NEWS) -- At least several people were injured after a RwandAir commuter plane slammed into a wall in Rwanda's capital on Thursday afternoon, airline officials told BNO News.

The accident happened around 12.53 p.m. local time at Kigali International Airport after the aircraft, a 57-seat Bombardier CRJ100 plane, made an emergency landing at the airport. The aircraft is officially owned by Kenya-based JetLink Express but is operated by RwandAir.

Local media reports initially claimed the plane had crashed after take-off, but officials denied those reports. "It didn't crash," JetLink's commercial manager told BNO News by telephone. Officials with both JetLink Express and RwandAir had different versions of what exactly took place.

RwandAir Acting-CEO Jack Ekl told BNO News that the plane reported a problem shortly after it had taken off from Kigali airport. After making a safe emergency landing at the airport where it took off, the aircraft taxied to the parking bay of the airport. "Just as they stopped the aircraft, the engine suddenly went to one-hundred percent power," Ekl said. JetLink's commercial manager said it had struck the wall of the airport's VIP Lounge, but said no one inside the building was injured.

A total of fifteen people were on board the aircraft, including five crew members. "[All passengers] came out on their own power," Ekl said, adding that everyone was taken to a local hospital for observation. Ekl believed one of the passengers, a woman, had passed away at the hospital, but said he had not yet received confirmation from officials.

The plane's co-pilot remained trapped inside the aircraft about 4.5 hours after the accident, and the captain suffered a broken leg. Besides the captain and co-pilot, two flight attendants and one aircraft mechanic were on board. Ekl said the passengers existed of nine adults and one infant.

Ekl added that investigative teams from Kenya would respond to investigate the accident, and said that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) from the United States might investigate as well. A spokesman for the NTSB in Washington, D.C. said it had not yet received information about the incident and could not say if it would respond to investigate.

The NTSB often assists to investigate plane crashes and other serious accidents that occurred in foreign countries.

[Go Guns]

Technically a CRJ-100 isn't a challenger.

Hopefully everyone turns out to be ok.

[robbreid]

Touche' , that's the biz jet part of me that added 'Challenger'!!

update from Aviation Safety Network;

A Canadair CRJ-100ER RegionalJet passenger plane, 5Y-JLD, operating for Rwandair Express, was substantially damaged when it struck an airport building at Kigali Airport (KGL), Rwanda. One passenger was killed.

The airplane operated on a scheduled international flight to Entebbe Airport (EBB), Uganda. Two minutes after take-off, the pilot requested to return because of unspecified technical problems.

The airplane landed safely and taxied back to the apron. However, when the plane reached it's parking spot in fron of the VIP lounge, the pilot reported that the engines had failed to stop and were running at " 100 percent power" according to the Rwandair Chief Operating Officer. The airplane moved forward, knocking over blast fences until it smashed through the concrete wall of the airport building. The nose gear collapsed and the nose was burried inside the building up to and including the forward passenger doors.

Weather reported about the time of the accident (12:30 local, 10:30 UTC): HRYR 121030Z VRB03KT 9999 BKN030 24/18 Q1018 NOSIG= [Wind variable at 3 knots; unlimited visibility; Broken clouds at 3000 feet; temperature 24 degrees C, dew point 18 degrees C; 1018 MB]

[xsbank]

Firewall shut-offs??

[linecrew]

Probably meant to put it in H...

[dashx]

It is the fault of the passengers.

If they had not been there they would not have crashed.

Problem solved.

[righthandman]

It wasn't even Friday the 13th yet!

[bombardierfixer]

The other report I read said that they had experianced a jam in the throttles of some sort, that caused the turn around. Seeing as how the CRJ engines are mechanically linked a "uncommanded" spool is unlikely. I suspect that once the crew thought they were chalked that they tried to clear the jam by moving the throttles up and down. I've done that to feel for rough spots, of course this was in the hanger. The cable could jam in the connection between the fuse and the pylon at the cable extender, or that has been a rough spot that I have seen. I worked on this bird about two years ago, she was good when I saw it last.

[hazatude]

RWANDA - Land of lost vowels

[bombardierfixer]

I stand corrected. After my last post I rememberd a CRJ doing a uncommanded spool up. But it wasn't due to jammed throttle linkage. The case I can remember is a CRJ was on rotation and the N2 signal gene packed it in and the computer poured on the coal because it thought the engine had shut down, thus almost overspeeding it. The pilot acted quickly and shut'er down. After the parade and a little feather smoothing it was all good. And apperently there is some sort of mod that clears fuel out of a flange, I dunno but I guess it could dump fuel into the manifold.

[ClevelandSteamer]

Well, if thats bad, how about the three that had minor injuries who were taken to the hospital by ambulance and all ended up being killed en route in a traffic accident. POLE SANA! Only in Africa.

Seeing as they were parked at the ramp and chocked i'm sure most of the passengers or crew were standing up or had seat belts off. I believe the co-Pilot also lost both her legs, or just broke them, not sure.