Gulf Air Flight 072

Infobox Airliner crash
name = Gulf Air Flight 072
Date = August 23, 2000
Type = Pilot error
site = Persian Gulf, Bahrain
passengers = 135
crew = 8
Fatalities = 143
survivors = 0
aircraft_type = Airbus A320-212
operator = Gulf Air
tail_number = A40-EK

On August 23, 2000, Gulf Air Flight 072 crashed into the Persian Gulf on approach to Bahrain International Airport from Cairo.

The A320 with 143 passengers and crew on board approached the landing at higher speeds than normal and carried out an unusual low altitude orbit in an attempt to correct the approach. [cite web |url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20000823-0&lang=en | title=Airbus A320 A40-EK accident record |publisher=Aviation Safety Network | quote= ..significantly higher than standard aircraft speeds during the descent and the firstapproach... ...performing an orbit, a non-standard manoeuvre, close to the runway at low altitude".. ] [cite web | url=http://web.archive.org/web/20040212231659/http://www.bahrainairport.com/caa/gf072.html | title=ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REPORTGulf Air Flight GF-072 | author=Civil Aviation Authority of Bahrain] The orbit was unsuccessful and a go-round was attempted. While carrying out a turning climb the aircraft entered a descent at 15 degrees nose down. The aircrew did not respond to repeated GPWS warnings [cite web | url=http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.bahrainairport.com/caa/gf072/pdf/conclusions.pdf | quote=4b. The analysis of FDR and CVR recordings indicated that neither the captain nor the first officer perceived, or effectively responded to, the threat of the aircraft's increasing proximity to the ground in spite of repeated hard GPWS warnings... | title=ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REPORTGulf Air Flight GF-072 | author= Civil Aviation Authority of Bahrain] and approximately one minute after starting the go-round the aircraft disappeared from radar screens. [cite web | url=http://aviation-safety.net/photos/displayphoto.php?id=20000823-0&vnr=1&kind=G | author=Bureau Enquetes-Accidents | publisher=Aviation Safety Network | title=Airbus A320 A4O-EK accident record - Graphic - A40-EK Flight Path dervied from Lat and Long FDR Parameters] There were no survivors. 36 children were on the aircraft [http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/plane_crashes/gulfair/pe_03.html] . The accident investigation concluded that the primary cause of the crash was pilot error (including spatial disorientation), with a secondary factor being systemic organizational and oversight issues. [cite web | url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20000823-0&lang=en | quote=The investigation showed that no single factor was responsible for the accident to GF-072. The accident was the result of a fatal combination of many contributory factors, both at the individual and systemic levels. | title=Airbus A320 A4O-EK accident record | publisher=Aviation Safety Network]

ee also

* Gulf Air
* List of accidents and incidents involving airliners by airline

External links

* [http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/plane_crashes/gulfair/framesource.html Crash in the Gulf] , "CBS News"
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20050904002226/http://www.bahrainairport.com/arabic/caa/civil_gf072.htm Accident Investigation Report]
* [http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20000823-0&lang=en Accident report from aviation safety network]

References