DHL shootdown incident in Baghdad
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 shortly after missile hit |
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| Summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 22 November 2003 |
| Type | Missile attack, loss of flight controls |
| Site | Baghdad International Airport, Baghdad, Iraq |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Airbus A300B4-203F |
| Operator | European Air Transport for DHL |
| Tail number | OO-DLL |
| Passengers | 0 |
| Crew | 3 |
| Survivors | 3 (all) |
The DHL shootdown incident in Baghdad occurred on 22 November 2003, aboard an Airbus A300B4-203F cargo plane, registered OO-DLL, operating on behalf of DHL. The aircraft was hit by a missile, which resulted in the loss of its hydraulic systems. It was the first time an aircraft in this condition was landed safely.
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[edit] Crew
The aircraft took off from Baghdad International Airport to Bahrain International Airport at 06:30 UTC with a crew of three: two Belgians (Captain Eric Genotte and co-pilot Steve Michielsen) and a Scotsman (engineer Mario Rafoil). All were experienced pilots. This contributed to the positive consequences of the air strike.
[edit] Moments following the strike
As the plane climbed through Iraq's airspace, it was hit by a missile fired by an insurgent group. As the fire on the tip of the left wing grew, hydraulic fluid bled away and, eventually, the plane lost all of its vital controls. Further complicating the situation was the drag created by the fire on the left wing, which was causing it to lose altitude. However, as the captain tested the throttles, he found that he could maintain a form of control over the stricken Airbus. As the plane entered a series of phugoid gyrations, Michielsen and Genotte, with assistance from Rafoil, managed to stabilize the plane.
However, when the landing gear was lowered, crisis struck. The entire balance of the aircraft was altered, and the nose pitched up. The captain decreased engine power, and the nose came down. By a somewhat extraordinary stroke of luck, lowering the undercarriage meant the plane was easier to control. Fair to say, it was a second stroke of luck that meant the second missile that the insurgence group fired missed the plane.
[edit] Second approach
Originally, Captain Genotte had wanted to use Runway 33/R at Baghdad, but the plane was too high to make a descent, in the condition it was in. Instead, the crew decided they would make the plane go round in a circular turn to the right, and line up with Runway 33/L. Successfully lining up with Runway 33/L, they began a descent much faster than normal, but they had to keep the speed up, otherwise the nose, and left wing, would dip, contact with the ground, and inevitably cause a fuel tank blast.
As they approached 400 feet, however, crosswinds disturbed their flight path. The plane landed successfully, but they veered off to the left. The plane came to a stop at the side of the runway.
[edit] Criticisms and aftermath
Some French journalists who had videotaped the whole incident later came under criticism for not trying to stop the attack, but the journalists argued that they would have been shot if they attempted to leave or resist.[citation needed] The incident became recognized because it was the first and only time ever that a crew had managed to land a transport category aeroplane safely without hydraulics. The crew has been given some of the highest awards the aviation community had to offer. For Mario Rafoil, the flight engineer, it was a good point on which to retire.
DHL also came under criticism for ordering crew members into Iraq without any additional danger pay.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
[edit] Sources and references
- Air Crash Investigation, Attack Over Baghdad
