ASN Aircraft accident Antonov An-12BK UR-CAG Leipzig Airport (LEJ)
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Status:Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Date:Friday 9 August 2013
Time:02:06
Type:Silhouette image of generic AN12 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Antonov An-12BK
Operator:Ukraine Air Alliance
Registration: UR-CAG
MSN: 9346904
First flight: 1969
Total airframe hrs:11219
Cycles:5410
Engines: 4 Ivchenko AI-20M
Crew:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 7
Passengers:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0
Total:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 7
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Aircraft fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:Leipzig Airport (LEJ) (   Germany)
Crash site elevation: 142 m (466 feet) amsl
Phase: Standing (STD)
Nature:Cargo
Departure airport:Leipzig Airport (LEJ/EDDP), Germany
Destination airport:Mineralnye Vody Airport (MRV/URMM), Russia
Narrative:
An Antonov 12 cargo plane, operated by Ukraine Air Alliance, was destroyed by fire during startup at Leipzig Airport (LEJ), Germany. All crew members escaped.
The aircraft, UR-CAG, arrived as flight UKL751 at Leipzig at 19:14 on August 8, after a flight from Stockholm, Sweden. The airplane parked at Stand 207. Loading operations commenced at 23:30 and were finished at 01:00. The cargo consisted of almost 49,000 day old chickens, weighing 3061 kg. The airplane was then fueled with 22,908 litres of fuel for the flight to Mineralnye Vody Airport (MRV), Russia. Fueling was completed at 01:21. Planned departure time was 02:15.
At 02:01 the controller at Leipzig cleared the crew to start the engines. The APU was started, followed by the no. 1 engine. During the starting process of engine no. 4, the crew heard a muffled bang and the airplane jerked.
The co-pilot, who was monitoring the instruments during the starting process, had observed variations in APU speed and an increase in temperature. Immediately the APU fire warning flashed. The crew shut down both engines and activated the fire-extinguishing system of the APU.
A flight mechanic then opened the emergency hatch located below the flight deck and observed the fire in the area of the APU. Other crew members handed him three fire extinguishers that were located on the flight deck. The flight engineer and two flight mechanics then proceeded to the fire and emptied the extinguishers. The captain meanwhile instructed the radio operator to warn the tower controller about the fire. The controller was contacted at 02:07. He activated the fire alarm at 02:08:00 and reported the location of the fire at 02:09. The first crash tender reached the airplane at 02:12 and began an attempt to put out the fire.
By then all crew members had evacuated through the emergency exit below the flight deck. The airplane burned out.
Due to the high degree of destruction it was not possible to determine the exact cause of the fire. It is possible that the compressor wheel had burst.

Probable Cause:

Conclusions: "The fire originated in the APU and propagated rapidly to the cargo compartment. The fire was not contained within the APU chamber. The propagation and severity of the fire were aided by the leaking fuel from the fuselage bottom tanks and the burning light metal alloy components of the APU."

Accident investigation:

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Investigating agency: BFU Germany
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 3 years and 6 months
Accident number: AX002-13
Download report: Final report

Classification:
APU engine problem
Damaged on the ground

Follow-up / safety actions

BFU issued 1 Safety Recommendation

Show all...

Photos

photo of Antonov-An-12BK-UR-CAG
accident date: 09-08-2013
type: Antonov An-12BK
registration: UR-CAG
 

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 Leipzig Airport to Mineralnye Vody Airport as the crow flies is 2399 km (1499 miles).
Accident location: Exact; deduced from official accident report.

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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