This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
Antigua-V.C. Bird International Airport (ANU/TAPA)
Investigating agency:
BEA
Confidence Rating:
Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities
Narrative: After lining up from taxiway Q, the pilot took off from runway 12 at Pointe-à-Pitre le Raizet aerodrome with the flaps retracted. The aircraft flew over the threshold of runway 30, located approximately 850 m from Q, at a height of approximately 30 ft and a ground speed of the order of 70 kt. Shortly after, the plane reached 100 ft in height and the pilot began a U-turn to the left. He announces at the frequency: "I am making a suitable circuit, I have an engine failure". At the end of the U-turn, the plane flew over the parking lot of a shopping center at a height of around 30 ft. It collided with a lamppost, a palm tree, then with the ground of a vacant lot located behind the parking lot, near Boulevard Marsin.
The take-off distance was more than twice as long as the distance calculated from the flight manual data. The engine probably did not deliver all its power from the rolling phase. The pilot, who is also used to the aerodrome, whose runway is not limiting for this aircraft, did not realize the degraded performance for takeoff.
When he did the rotation, he realized that the climb performance was not what was expected. The residual power available from the engine led him to start a suitable circuit to land on runway 12. The pilot sought to maintain the height as long as possible to avoid landing in an occupied area. The aircraft then struck obstacles and then the ground.