Air accident investigators will resume their investigation today into why a plane crashed moments before its scheduled landing at Amsterdam airport, killing nine people.
The Turkish Airlines plane - carrying 135 passengers and crew - dropped into a field 200 metres short of the runaway at Schiphol airport yesterday morning. The nine dead included both pilots.
Fifty more were injured, about half of them seriously, but others walked away even though the six-year old Boeing 737 broke into three sections on impact.
The bodies of the pilot, co-pilot and a third crew member are understood to be still in the cockpit pending completion today of checks on equipment and instrument readings to assess the cause of the accident.
Last night, a Schiphol Airport spokesman said it was unclear what caused the plane to lose height dramatically and vertically just before the planned landing.
The relatively few fatalities was explained by experts by the fact that the plane was already prepared for landing and that it was travelling slowly when something caused its sudden descent at the end of a routine flight from Istanbul.
In addition, having reached its destination, the plane would have used up most of its fuel, lessening the chances of a fire. The impact was relatively soft too — into a newly-ploughed field.
The aircraft was relatively new, with servicing records and safety checks up to date.
The European Commission, which has a “blacklist” of European airlines which are deemed not to meet minimum standards, issued a statement declaring: “In 2008 Turkish Airlines underwent over 100 ramp inspections. The results for safety and security have always been good.”
Normal airport services were resumed within hours of the crash, which happened in normal weather conditions.
PA