Air Algérie Flight 6289

Air Algérie Flight 6289 (AH6289) was an Algerian domestic passenger flight from Tamanrasset to the nation's capital of Algiers with a stopover in Ghardaïa, operated by Algerian national airline Air Algérie. On 6 March 2003, the aircraft operating the flight, a Boeing 737-200, crashed near the Trans-Sahara Highway shortly after taking off from Tamanrasset's Aguenar – Hadj Bey Akhamok Airport, killing all but one of the 103 people on board. At the time of the accident, it was the deadliest aviation disaster on Algerian soil.

The investigation concluded that a flight crew error caused the crash following an engine failure shortly after take-off. The captain of Flight 6289 had taken over the control from the first officer without adequate identification of the actual emergency. As the captain could not comprehend the exact cause of the emergency, appropriate corrective actions were not taken, despite the attempts of the first officer. The speed drastically dropped and the aircraft crashed into the terrain.

Accident

Flight 6289 was a flight from Tamanrasset, the capital of Tamanrasset Province, to the Algerian capital of Algiers with a stopover in Ghardaïa. The flight was popular for Algerians and tourists as Tamanrasset was known for its archaeological sites and was the capital of the Tuareg people. The fare was also described as fairly cheap. On 6 March 2003, the flight was carrying 97 passengers and 6 crew members, with First Officer Yousfi as the pilot flying. The temperature was high and the visibility was good.

At about 15:01 CET, pushback clearance was requested by the crew and the ATC cleared the crew to taxi to Runway 02. As the flight crew reported that they were ready for take-off, the ATC later asked the crew to line up and later cleared the crew for take-off to Ghardaïa. The crew chose a V1 of 144 kn, VR of 146 kn and V2 of 150 kn with a maximum thrust on take-off.

Flight 6289 took off from Tamanrasset at 15:13 CET. Shortly after, an explosion occurred in one of the engines. The explosion was loud enough to be heard by workers in Tamanrasset's air traffic control tower and other witnesses in the area. Debris was seen dropping onto the runway. Due to the explosion, the aircraft swayed to the left; later it veered to the right as the crew tried to correct its heading. Seconds later, First Officer Yousfi reported, "We have a small problem."

The aircraft continued to climb with its landing gear still extended, reaching a maximum height of around 400 ft before its airspeed significantly dropped from 160 kn to its stall speed. It descended with its nose in up position and eventually crashed onto a field at 15:15 CET, striking the ground with its right side and bursting into flames. The wreckage slid across the ground and struck the airport's perimeter fence, crossed a road and finally came to rest.

The impact and the fire that had erupted due to the crash immediately killed 102 people on board. The cockpit occupants, including the captain, first officer, and the chief attendant, were killed due to the impact. The rest of the occupants were killed due to the massive explosion that had been caused by the crash. The sole survivor of the accident was 28-year-old Algerian soldier Youcef Djillali. He was seated in the last row with his seat belt unfastened (as indicated in his statement) and was ejected from the plane upon impact, escaping from the accident. The man was found in a coma with multiple injuries. However, he regained consciousness the next day. Doctors said that his injuries were not life-threatening.

Flight recorders analysis

The flight recorders were retrieved from the wreckage on the same day of the accident. The CVR showed few signs of damage, while the FDR was exposed to fire. Both recorders' memory cards were in good condition, allowing a direct readout. On 13 March, the readout was performed by BEA. Due to the old age of the FDR, there were only six recorded parameters: time, pressure altitude, speed, magnetic heading, vertical acceleration, and send/receive VHF communication.

According to the recorders, during the preparation for the flight, First Officer Yousfi had conducted the pre-departure checklist by herself as Captain Benaouicha was running late. He eventually arrived when Yousfi was about to give the pre-flight briefing to the crew members. During the taxiing, the captain could be heard conversing with the chief attendant, who was also in the cockpit, rather than paying attention to the flight operation. There was no discussion on the possible anomaly that might have occurred in-flight, as per the approved Air Algérie procedure.

As the aircraft reached its rotation speed, Captain Benaouicha called for rotation (lift the nose wheel off the ground during takeoff). First Officer Yousfi then asked for gear retraction. A second later, a loud thump was heard, indicating the start of the left engine failure. Startled, the first officer immediately exclaimed the basmala several times, later asking "What's going on?" The captain immediately took over the control and asked Yousfi to let go of the controls. She stated that she had let go and later correctly offered to retract the gear in line with procedures to reduce drag, to which the captain made no response.

First Officer Yousfi immediately reported that Flight 6289 was experiencing a small problem. The aircraft then climbed to a maximum altitude of 398 ft with a speed of 134 knots. The altitude and the speed then dropped and the stick shaker was activated for one second, warning the crew of an impending stall. The speed continued to drop and the aircraft finally entered a full stall. According to engine data it is most likely that Captain Benaouicha reduced power on the working engine after taking control and First Officer Yousfi repeatedly attempted to restore power to it by advancing the thrust lever but each time he pulled it back and instructed her to stop using it, despite her actions being correct. She kept insisting that she had let go. This conflict continued until the end of the recording. At 335 ft, both recordings abruptly stopped. The last recorded voice was the "Don't sink" alarm from the aircraft's GPWS. The speed was at 126 knots and the landing gear was still in extended position.