View source for Air France Flight 296Q

{{Short description|Aviation accident at Habsheim Air Show}}
{{EngvarB|date=December 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Infobox aircraft occurrence
| occurrence_type = Accident
| name            = Air France Flight 296Q
| image           = F-GFKC Air France Airbus A320 - 2.jpg
| image_upright   = 1.15
| caption         = F-GFKC, the Airbus A320 involved in the accident
| date            = {{start date|1988|6|26|df=y}}
| summary         = [[Controlled flight into terrain]] on landing during [[go-around]]<!-- Leave the causes for the article body per project consensus -->
| site            = [[Mulhouse–Habsheim Airfield]], [[Mulhouse]], France
| coordinates     = {{coord|47|44|58|N|7|25|34|E|type:event_scale:20000_region:FR-GES|display=inline,title}}
| occupants       = 136
| passengers      = 130
| crew            = 6
| injuries        = 50
| fatalities      = 3
| survivors       = 133
| aircraft_type   = [[Airbus A320 family|Airbus A320-111]]
| origin          = [[Charles de Gaulle Airport]]
| stopover        = [[Mulhouse–Habsheim Airfield]]
| destination     = [[EuroAirport Basel–Mulhouse–Freiburg|Basel–Mulhouse Airport]]
| operator        = [[Air Charter International]] for [[Air France]]
| aircraft_name   = ''Ville d'Amsterdam''
| tail_number     = F-GFKC
| IATA            = SF296Q
| ICAO            = ACF296Q
| callsign        = AIR CHARTER 296 QUEBEC
}}
'''Air France Flight 296Q''' was a chartered flight of a new [[Airbus A320 family|Airbus A320-111]] operated by [[Air Charter International]] for [[Air France]].<ref name="bea.aero" /> On 26 June 1988, the plane crashed while making a low pass over [[Mulhouse–Habsheim Airfield]] ([[ICAO airport code]] LFGB) as part of the Habsheim Air Show. Most of the crash sequence, which occurred in front of several thousand spectators, was caught on video.
This particular flight was the A320's first passenger flight and most of those on board were journalists and [[raffle]] competition winners, having won tickets as part of a promotional event by local businesses. The low-speed flyover, with landing gear down, was supposed to take place at an altitude of {{convert|100|ft|m}}; instead, the plane performed the flyover at {{convert|30|ft|m|0|abbr=on}}, skimmed the treetops of the forest at the end of the runway (which had not been shown on the airport map given to the pilots) and crashed.
All 136 passengers survived the initial impact, but 3 then died of smoke inhalation from the subsequent fire; a quadriplegic boy in seat 4F, a 7-year-old little girl in seat 8C, trapped by her seat being pushed forward and struggling to open the seatbelt, and an adult who, according to her partner, had reached the exit with him but then turned back to try help the 7 year old. (The child had been traveling with her older brother but seated apart; he was swept out by a flow of escapees as he tried to find his sister).<ref name="English report" /><ref name="Job 1998 155" />
Official reports concluded that the pilots flew too low, too slow, failed to see the forest and accidentally flew into it. The captain, Michel Asseline, disputed the report and claimed an error in the [[fly-by-wire]] computer prevented him from applying thrust and pulling up. Five individuals, including the captain and first officer, were later found guilty of [[Manslaughter|involuntary manslaughter]]. Captain Asseline, who maintained his innocence, went on to serve ten months in prison and a further ten months probation.<ref name="airdisaster.com" />
This was the first fatal crash of an Airbus A320.
==Aircraft==
The accident aircraft, an [[Airbus A320]]-111, registration F-GFKC, serial number 9, first flew on 6 January 1988 and was delivered to [[Air France]] on 23 June, three days prior to its destruction. It was the third A320 delivered to Air France, the launch customer.<ref name="ASN-19880626">{{Cite web|title=ASN Aircraft accident Airbus A320-111 F-GFKC Mulhouse-Habsheim Airport|url=https://www.aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19880626-0|access-date=3 February 2007|website=aviation-safety.net|publisher=Aviation Safety Network}}</ref>
== Flight deck crew ==
Captain Michel Asseline, 44, had been a pilot with Air France for almost twenty years and had the following endorsements: [[Sud Aviation Caravelle|Caravelle]]; Boeing [[Boeing 707|707]], [[Boeing 727|727]], and [[Boeing 737|737]]; and Airbus [[Airbus A300|A300]] and [[Airbus A310|A310]]. He was a highly distinguished pilot with 10,463 flight hours.<ref name="bea.aero">{{cite web|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|date=24 April 1990|title=Commission d'Enquête sur l'accident survenu le 26 de juin de 1988 à Mulhouse-Habsheim (68) à l'Airbus A 320, immatriculé F-GFKC – Rapport Final|trans-title=Commission of Inquiry into the accident on June 26, 1988 in Mulhouse-Habsheim (68) on the Airbus A 320, registered F-GFKC - Final Report|url=http://www.bea.aero/docspa/1988/f-kc880626/pdf/f-kc880626.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112012519/http://www.bea.aero/docspa/1988/f-kc880626/pdf/f-kc880626.pdf|archive-date=12 November 2013|language=fr}}</ref> A training captain since 1979, Asseline was appointed to head the company's A320 training subdivision at the end of 1987. As Air France's technical pilot, he had been heavily involved in test flying the A320 type and had carried out maneuvers beyond normal operational limitations. Asseline had total confidence in the aircraft's computer systems.<ref name="Job 1998 155">{{cite book|last=Job|first=Macarthur|author-link=Macarthur Job|title=Air Disaster Volume 3|year=1998|publisher=Aerospace Publications|location=Australia|isbn=1-875671-34-X|pages=155}}</ref>
First Officer Pierre Mazières, 45, had been flying with the airline since 1969 and had been a training captain for six years. He was endorsed on the Caravelle, Boeing 707 and 737, and had qualified as an A320 captain three months before the accident.<ref name="Job 1998 155"/> Mazières had 10,853 hours of flight time.<ref name="bea.aero"/>
== Flight plan ==
At the time of the incident, only three of the new aircraft type had been delivered to Air France, and the newest one (in service for two days) had been chosen for the flyover.<ref name="Job 1998 155"/>
The aircraft was to fly from [[Charles de Gaulle Airport]] to [[EuroAirport Basel–Mulhouse–Freiburg|Basel–Mulhouse Airport]] for a press conference. Then, sightseeing charter passengers would board and the aircraft would fly the short distance to the small [[Mulhouse–Habsheim Airfield]]. The captain would make a low-level fly-pass over Runway 02, climb up and turn back, and repeat the fly-pass over the same runway in the reciprocal direction (Runway 20). This would be followed by a sightseeing trip south to [[Mont Blanc]] before the passengers would be returned to Basel–Mulhouse Airport. Finally, the aircraft would return to [[Paris]].<ref name="Job 1998 155"/>
The pilots had each had a busy weekend and did not receive the [[flight plan]] until the morning of the flight. They received no verbal details about the flyover or the aerodrome itself.<ref name="Job 1998 155"/>
== Flyover ==
[[File:F-GFKC Air France Airbus A320 - 5.jpg|thumb|F-GFKC taking off on its way to the Habsheim Airfield]]
The flight plan was that as the flight approached the airfield, the pilot would extend the third-stage flap, lower the landing gear, and line up for a level flight at {{convert|100|ft|m}}. The captain would slow the aircraft to its minimum flying speed with maximum [[angle of attack]], disable the "alpha floor" (the function that would otherwise automatically advance engine thrust to TO/GA when the IAS reaches αMax), and rely on the first officer to adjust the engine thrust manually to maintain 100 feet. After the first pass, the first officer would then apply TO/GA power and climb steeply before turning back for the second pass. "I've done it twenty times!" Asseline assured his first officer.<ref name="Job 1998 155"/> The flyover had been approved by Air France's Air Operations Directorate and Flight Safety Department, and air traffic control and [[Basel]] tower had been informed.<ref name="Job 1998 155"/>
Habsheim Aerodrome was too small to be listed in the aircraft's flight computer, thereby requiring a [[visual flight rules|visual approach]]; both pilots were also unfamiliar with the airfield when they began their descent from {{convert|2000|ft|m}} only {{convert|6|nmi|km}} from the field. This distance was too short for them to stabilise the aircraft's altitude and speed for the flyover.<ref name="Job 1998 155"/> Additionally, the captain was expecting from the flight plan to do the pass over runway 02 ({{convert|3281|ft|m}} long, paved) and was preparing for that alignment. But as the aircraft approached the field, the flight deck crew noticed that the spectators were gathered beside runway 34R ({{convert|2100|ft|m}} long, grass). This last-minute deviation in the approach further distracted the crew from stabilising the aircraft's altitude and they quickly dropped to {{convert|40|ft|m}}.<ref name="Job 1998 155"/>
From higher up, the forest at the end of 34R had merely looked like a different type of grass rather than what it was: a forest with trees. But now that the aircraft was performing its flyover at only thirty feet, the crew noticed the aircraft was lower than the now-identified hazard that they were fast approaching.<ref name="Job 1998 155"/> The [[Flight recorder#Cockpit voice recorder|cockpit voice recorder]] recorded the first officer's call:
:First officer: "TO/GA power! Go-around track!"<ref name="Job 1998 155"/>
Followed by:
:Cockpit area microphone (CAM): (''increase in engine speed'')
:CAM: (''noises of impact with treetops'')
:Captain: "Oh shit!"
:{{smaller|END OF TAPE}}
The crew applied full power and Asseline attempted to climb. However, the elevators did not respond to the pilot's commands because the A320's computer system engaged its "alpha protection" mode (meant to prevent the aircraft from entering a [[stall (aviation)|stall]]). Less than five seconds later, the turbines began ingesting leaves and branches as the aircraft skimmed the tops of the trees. The combustion chambers clogged and the engines failed. The aircraft fell to the ground.<ref name="Job 1998 155" />
Traditionally, pilots respect the inherent dangers of flying at low speeds at low altitudes, and normally, a pilot would not attempt to fly an aircraft so close to stalling with the engines at flight idle (minimum thrust setting in flight). In this instance, however, the pilots involved did not hesitate to fly the aircraft below its normal minimum flying speed because the purpose of the flyover was to demonstrate that the aircraft's computer systems would ensure that lift would always be available regardless of how the pilots handled the controls. Asseline's experience of flying the aircraft type at the outer limits of its flight performance envelope may have led to overconfidence and complacency.<ref name="Job 1998 155"/>
== Crash and evacuation ==
During the impact, the right wing was torn off, and the spilling fuel ignited immediately. Two fire trucks at the airshow set off and an ambulance followed. Local emergency services were informed by radio communication.<ref name="Job 1998 155"/>
Inside the aircraft, all the lights had gone out before it came to a final rest, there was no emergency lighting apart from the exit signs.<ref name="English report" /> Many passengers were dazed from hitting their heads on the backs of the seats in front of them. Some passengers had difficulty unfastening their seatbelts because they were unfamiliar with the mechanism (which differs from the type used in car seatbelts). The purser went to announce instructions to the passengers but the public address system handset had been torn off. He then tried to open the left-side forward door, which was blocked by trees. The door opened partway, and the emergency escape slide began inflating while it was stuck partly inside the fuselage. The purser, a passenger, and a flight attendant (a guest from another airline) managed to push the door fully open. In the process, the purser and the passenger were thrown out of the fuselage with the slide landing on top of them. The flight attendant then began evacuating the passengers but they soon began to pile up at the bottom of the slide as their route was blocked by trees and branches. The egress of the passengers was temporarily halted while the purser and another flight attendant began clearing the branches. When the evacuation continued, the flight attendant stayed at the door, helping passengers, until she began suffering from [[smoke inhalation]].<ref name="Job 1998 155"/>
By this time, the fire had entered the right side of the fuselage through the damaged floor section between seat rows 10 and 15. A passenger tried to open the left-side overwing exit. It would not open, which was fortunate as there was by that time a fire on the left wing.<ref name="Job 1998 155"/>
The panicking passengers now began pushing toward the front of the cabin. A flight attendant standing in the centre of the cabin at seat 12D was pushed into the aisle by a severely burnt passenger from 12F. Then, as she was helping another passenger whose clothes were on fire, she was carried forward by the surge of people rushing to escape. After the rush of people had left and the interior was fast becoming toxic, she stood at the front door and called back into the cabin. There was no reply and the thick black smoke made a visual check impossible, so she exited the fuselage. The evacuation from the rear door had been fast and smooth thanks to the instructions from the flight attendants at the rear of the aircraft.<ref name="Job 1998 155"/>
The medical team from the air-show arrived and began examining the passengers. Ten minutes after the crash, the first of the fire trucks arrived. But because of the forest, only the smaller vehicles were able to reach the wreckage. Apart from the tail section, the aircraft was consumed by fire.<ref name="Job 1998 155"/>
Of 136 people on board, three did not escape. One was a disabled 14-year-old boy named Hervé Liermann in seat 4F who was unable to move. Another was a 7-year-old girl named Mariama Barry in seat 8C, who was trapped, unable to remove her seatbelt after a seatback collapsed on top of her (her older brother had removed his own seatbelt but was carried away by the rush of people before he could help his sister). The third was a woman named Marie-Françoise Froesch who had reached the front door and then returned to help the girl. Thirty-four passengers required hospitalization for injuries and burns. Both pilots received minor head injuries and also suffered from smoke inhalation and [[shock (circulatory)|shock]].<ref name="Job 1998 155"/>
== Accident investigation ==
The official investigation was carried out by the ''[[Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety]]'' (BEA), the French air accident investigation bureau, in conjunction with Air France and Airbus.<ref name="Job 1998 155"/> Although the official investigation was written in French, the BEA released an English version on 29 November 1989. The translated version of the report can be found on the Aviation Accidents Database and at the Aviation Safety Network.<ref>{{cite web|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|date=26 April 2020|title=Air France – Airbus A320-111 (F-GFKC) flight AF296Q|url=https://www.aviation-accidents.net/air-france-airbus-a320-111-f-gfkc-flight-af296/}}</ref><ref name="English report">{{Cite web|date=29 November 1989|title=Air France flight AF296Q English official report|url=https://reports.aviation-safety.net/1988/19880626-0_A320_F-GFKC.pdf}}</ref>
===Flight recorders===
The plane's [[flight recorder]]s were found still attached in the unburnt tail section. The [[cockpit voice recorder]] (CVR) continued to operate for about 1.5 seconds after the initial impact. The [[Flight Data Recorder|digital flight data decorder]] (DFDR) continued to operate for about one second, then recorded nonsensical data for another two seconds. Interruption of the power occurred forward of the tail section—most probably in the wheel-well area, which was heavily damaged.<ref name="Job 1998 155"/>
The CVR was read during the night of 26 June at the BEA. The transcription was later clarified with the assistance of the pilots involved. The tape speed was set using the 400&nbsp;Hz frequency of the aircraft's electrical supply and then synchronised with the air traffic control recordings, which included a time track.<ref name="Job 1998 155"/>
The DFDR was read the same night by the [[Brétigny-sur-Orge Air Base|Brétigny sur Orge]] Flight Test Centre:
* 12:43:44 - the aircraft begins its descent from {{convert|2000|ft|m}}, initially at a rate of {{convert|300|ft|m}} per minute with 'Flaps 1'.
* 12:44:14 - the engine power is reduced to flight idle. Three seconds later, the undercarriage is extended. A further ten seconds later, 'Flaps 2' is selected.
* 12:44:45 - 'Flaps 3' is selected as the aircraft descends through {{convert|500|ft|m}} at an airspeed of 177 knots.
* 12:45:06 - the aircraft descends through {{convert|200|ft|m}} at an airspeed of 155 knots.
* 12:45:15 - the aircraft, now at {{convert|90|ft|m}}, begins a deviation to the right (maximum bank angle: 30°) to line up with the grass strip 34R.
* 12:45:23 - the aircraft completes the deviation at a height of {{convert|46|ft|m}} and an airspeed of 141 knots. During this manoeuvre, a fluctuation in the radio altimeter height corresponds to the aircraft passing over a patch of trees (whereas before and after this fluctuation, the readings of the radio altimeter and those of the barometric altimeter match perfectly). Three seconds later, the aircraft descends through {{convert|40|ft|m}} at an airspeed of 132 knots. The captain begins to flare the aircraft (he lifts the nose 4°) to level its flight. The aircraft levels off at {{convert|30|ft|m}}.
* 12:45:30 - nose-up attitude increases to 7°.
* 12:45:35 - nose-up attitude is now 15° and speed is 122 knots. TO/GA power is applied. Four seconds later, the aircraft begins striking the treetops.<ref name="Job 1998 155"/>
===Aircraft and engines===
Investigators found that the aircraft had been airworthy, that its weight and centre-of-gravity had been within limits, and that there was no evidence of mechanical or electronic systems failure.<ref name="Job 1998 155"/>
The flight deck crew believed that the engines had failed to respond to the application of full power. With the CFM56-5 engines, four seconds are required to go from 29% N<sub>1</sub>{{efn|The speed of the Stage 1 fan of a [[turbofan]] engine, expressed as a percentage of normal maximum}} (flight idle) to 67%. It then takes one second more to go from 67 to 83% N<sub>1</sub>. From the engine parameters recorded on the DFDR and spectral analysis of the engine sounds on the CVR, it was determined that five seconds after TO/GA power was applied, the N<sub>1</sub> speed of Nº1 engine was 83% while that of Nº2 engine was 84%. Spectral analysis of the engine sounds indicated that 0.6 seconds later, both engines had reached 91% (by this stage, they were starting to ingest vegetation). This response of the engines complied with their certification data.<ref name="Job 1998 155"/>
===Official report===
The official report from BEA concluded that the probable cause of the accident was a combination of the following:
* Very low flyover height, lower than surrounding obstacles;
* Speed very slow and reducing to reach maximum possible angle of attack;
* Engines speed at flight idle; and
* Late application of go-around power.<ref name="Job 1998 155"/>
Furthermore, the bureau concluded that if the descent below 100 feet was not deliberate, it may have resulted from a failure by the crew to take proper account of the visual and aural information available to them regarding the elevation "above ground level" (AGL) of the aircraft.<ref name="bea.aero" /><ref name="ASN-19880626" />
The report further recommended that:
* Passengers should be banned from all demonstration flights
* Flight crews should be provided with &ndash; and ensure &ndash; proper reconnaissance of airfields
* Airline company procedures should be reviewed to ensure they comply with official regulations concerning altitude
===Prosecutions===
In 1996, Captain Asseline, First Officer Mazières, two Air France officials and the president of the flying club sponsoring the air show were all charged with [[involuntary manslaughter]]. In 1997, all five were found guilty. Asseline was initially sentenced to six months in prison along with twelve months of [[probation]]. Mazières was given a twelve-month suspended sentence. The others were sentenced to probation.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1997-03-14 |title=Pilot who crashed jet in air show gets jail time |url=https://apnews.com/article/5565c4eb2ee528dbd96c74783c54af28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210718201340/https://apnews.com/article/5565c4eb2ee528dbd96c74783c54af28 |archive-date=July 18, 2021 |access-date=2021-02-10 |website=AP NEWS}}</ref> Asseline walked free from the court and said he would appeal to France's highest court, the [[Court of Cassation (France)|''Court of Cassation'']] ({{Langx|fr|Cour de Cassation}}). According to [[Law of France|French law]], Asseline was required to submit himself to the prison system before his case could be taken up by the ''Court of Cassation''. In 1998, Asseline's appeal was rejected and his sentence was increased to ten months of imprisonment along with ten months of probation.<ref name="airdisaster.com" />
===Alternative explanation===
The television documentary series ''[[Mayday (Canadian TV series)|Mayday]]'' also reports claims in a [[List of Mayday episodes#Season 9 (2010)|season 9 episode]] that the plane's flight recorder might have been tampered with and indicated that four seconds had been cut from the tape; this was shown by playing back a control tower tape and comparing it to the remaining tape. Asseline argues that he attempted to apply thrust earlier than indicated in the flight recorder data. When he increased throttle to level off at 100&nbsp;ft, the engines did not respond. Asseline claims that this indicated a problem with the aeroplane's fly-by-wire system rather than [[pilot error]]. After a few seconds, Asseline claims, he became worried that the plane's completely computerised throttle control had malfunctioned and responded by pulling the throttle all the way back then forward again. By that time the aircraft had touched the trees. ''Mayday'' also looks at the theory that it was the computer at fault, not the pilots. Because the aircraft's altitude had fallen below 100&nbsp;ft, the plane's computer may have been programmed to believe it was landing and therefore prevent any drastic manoeuvres from either pilot. When the crew suddenly asked the plane for more power and lift, it may have simply ignored them.<ref name="airdisaster.com">{{cite web |last=Kilroy |first=Chris |date= |title=Investigations: Air France 296 |url=http://www.airdisaster.com/investigations/af296/af296.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050805082440/http://www.airdisaster.com/investigations/af296/af296.shtml |archive-date=5 August 2005 |access-date= |work=AirDisaster.Com}}</ref>
It was also claimed by the Institute of Police Forensic Evidence and Criminology, based in Switzerland, that the flight data recorders may have been switched and were not the original ones in the airplane.<ref name="airdisaster.com"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.crashdehabsheim.net/CRenglish%20phot.pdf |title=The Airbus A320 crash at Habsheim, France 26 June 1988 |last1=Roger |first1=Christian |date=26 June 1998 |website=crashdehabsheim.net }}</ref> Airbus made a detailed rebuttal of these claims in a document published in 1991, contending that the independent investigator employed by the filmmakers made an error when synchronising the recordings based on a misunderstanding of how the "Radio Transmit" parameter on the flight data recorder functioned.<ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=March 1991 |title=The A320 Habsheim accident: An Airbus Industrie response to allegation made in television programmes and other media |url=http://www.crashdehabsheim.net/Rapport%20Airbus.pdf |publisher=Airbus}}</ref>
== Depictions in media ==
The episode "Blaming the Pilot" of the TV series ''[[Survival in the Sky]]'' featured the accident.
The [[Discovery Channel Canada]] / [[National Geographic Society|National Geographic]] TV series ''[[Mayday (Canadian TV series)|Mayday]]'' featured the accident and subsequent investigation in a season 9 episode titled "Pilot vs. Plane" and included an interview with Captain Michel Asseline, survivors, and accident investigators.<ref name="Mayday Pilot vs Plane">{{Cite episode |title=Pilot vs. Plane|series=[[Mayday (Canadian TV series)|Mayday]]|network=[[Discovery Channel Canada]] / [[National Geographic Channel]]|season=9|year=2010}}</ref>
The episode "Disastrous Descents" of the TV series ''Aircrash Confidential'' produced by WMR Productions and IMG Entertainment, featured the accident and included an interview with Captain Michel Asseline.
== See also ==
* [[List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft]]
* [[List of airshow accidents and incidents]]
== Notes ==
{{notes}}
== Footnotes ==
{{reflist}}
== External links ==
*[https://reports.aviation-safety.net/1988/19880626-0_A320_F-GFKC.pdf Commission of Inquiry into the accident on June 26th<!--SIC--> 1988 in Mulhouse–Habsheim]
*{{in lang|fr}} [http://www.bea.aero/docspa/1988/f-kc880626/pdf/f-kc880626.pdf Commission of Inquiry into the accident on June 26th in Mulhouse–Habsheim] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20131112012519/http://www.bea.aero/docspa/1988/f-kc880626/pdf/f-kc880626.pdf Archive]) {{langx|fr|link=no|Commission de enquete sur l'accident le 26 Juin 1988 a Mulhouse-Habsheim}}
{{Aviation incidents and accidents in 1988}}
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