Airbus 340-600 Hoax
In November 2007 a brand new Airbus 340-600 owned by Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies (ADAT) managed to crash before it had ever left the ground. The story behind this event has become the stuff of urban legend.
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The Myth
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According to an email that was circulated in 2007, an alarm sounded on the plane because all four engines were at full throttle but the plane had not been configured properly for take off. The email states that "... one of the ADAT crew decided to pull the circuit breaker on the Ground Proximity Sensor to silence the alarm. The computers automatically released the brakes and set the aircraft rocketing forward."
The Reality
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According to a report released by French investigators in December 2008, the accident did occur while engine tests were being run. The report states that "In the run-up to the accident the full-power engine test with the wheels unchocked was testing the limits of the parking break. As the aircraft began to move, an ADAT engineer reported the aircraft was moving. According to the flight recorder, at that point the pedal brake was applied and the parking brake deactivated ... the steering wheel was turned to avoid crashing into the test-pen wall, but that had the opposite effect as it instead reduced the braking pressure." According to the investigators the entire incident was over in 13 seconds.
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Motivation
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It is unclear where the hoax email originated. However, it appears that racism or anti-Arab sentiment may have been a motivator in sending it. The email states that "Not one member of the seven-man Arab crew was bright enough to throttle back the engines from their max power setting..." and that "..there has been a news blackout in the major media in France and elsewhere. Coverage of the story was deemed insulting to Muslim Arabs."
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References
- Photo Credit jet engine image by Xavier MARCHANT from Fotolia.com
