The inadequate restraint of five large mine-resistant military vehicles being carried as cargo in a National Airlines B747 was the cause of a fiery crash shortly after takeoff from Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan in April 2013, the NTSB said in its probable-cause meeting on Tuesday. All seven crew members died in the crash. At least one of the vehicles moved rearward as the aircraft climbed from the runway, crippling key hydraulic systems and damaging the horizontal stabilizer, rendering the aircraft uncontrollable, the NTSB said. The safety board also said the FAA’s inadequate oversight of National Airlines’ cargo operation was a contributing factor in the accident.
“The crew took on an important mission to support American forces abroad and lost their lives not to enemy fire, but to an accident,” said NTSB Chairman Christopher Hart at the outset of the board meeting. “We cannot change what happened, but in fully investigating this accident, we hope to find ways to prevent such an accident from happening again.” The investigation found that National Airlines’ cargo operations manual omitted critical information from Boeing and from the manufacturer of the cargo handling system about properly securing cargo, and also contained incorrect restraining methods for special cargo loads.
The board recommended that the FAA create a certification process for personnel responsible for the loading, restraint, and documentation of special cargo loads on transport-category airplanes. Other recommendations call on the FAA to improve its ability to inspect cargo aircraft operations, specifically those involving special cargo loads. “Today’s recommendations to the FAA, if acted upon, will bring these important issues into sharper focus, help to standardize previously ambiguous areas of oversight and guidance, and prepare FAA inspectors to determine whether this clearer guidance is being followed,” Hart said. The NTSB has posted a synopsis of its findings online (PDF); a full final report will be released later. The FAA has proposed a fine of $77,000 against National Airlines for its mishandling of the cargo.
