Nürnberger Flugdienst Flight 108
D-CABB, the aircraft involved in the accident, pictured in 1985 | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 8 February 1988 |
| Summary | Lightning strike, spatial disorientation, and subsequent in-flight break up |
| Site | 2.1 km (1.3 mi) north of Kettwig 51°22′27″N 6°54′53″E / 51.3743°N 6.9148°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Swearingen SA-227AC Metroliner III |
| Operator | Nürnberger Flugdienst |
| IATA flight No. | NS108 |
| ICAO flight No. | NFD108 |
| Call sign | FLAMINGO 108 |
| Registration | D-CABB |
| Flight origin | Hannover Airport, West Germany |
| Destination | Düsseldorf Airport, West Germany |
| Occupants | 21 |
| Passengers | 19 |
| Crew | 2 |
| Fatalities | 21 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Nürnberger Flugdienst Flight 108 was a scheduled regional flight which crashed near Essen, West Germany, on 8 February 1988 with the loss of all 21 occupants. The flight was operated by Swearingen SA-227AC Metroliner III D-CABB for Nürnberger Flugdienst, from Hannover Airport to Düsseldorf Airport. It is the deadliest aviation accident involving the Swearingen Fairchild Metroliner.
Background
Aircraft
The Swearingen SA-227AC Metro III involved in the accident was 6 years old. It had the manufacturing number AC-500 and was equipped with two Garrett TPE-331-11U-601G. This aircraft had 9184 total flight hours.[1]
Crew
The captain was Ralf Borsdorf, 36, with 2473 total flight hours, 277 of those hours were on the Metroliner. The first officer was Sibylle Heilmann, 29. She had 2544 total flight hours, with 1344 being on the Metroliner.[2]: 11–13
Accident
The aircraft took off from Hannover Airport at 07:15, and was on approach to runway 24 at Düsseldorf Airport. By 7:50 am, the crew had flown into a thunderstorm. At 07:55:55, both flight recorders abruptly stopped recording and the aircraft disappeared from secondary radar.
The aircraft then entered a dive, before briefly recovering, likely after seeing the ground, before diving again. They then flew into the clouds before breaking up and crashing at 07:58.[2][3]
Investigation
The investigation revealed that the aircraft had been hit by lightning during the approach to Düsseldorf Airport, which disrupted the electrical system and therefore the flight instruments. The pilots became disorientated and blindly entered a high speed descent. Witnesses on the ground described the plane as coming out of the clouds briefly and entering a climb, which suggested that the crew briefly regained orientation of the aircraft upon seeing the ground. However, once it re-entered the clouds the crew likely became disoriented again. After almost 2 minutes of "predominantly uncontrolled flight," one of the trailing edge flaps (which could not be retracted without electrical power) failed due to overloading, sending the aircraft into an unrecoverable spiral during which it disintegrated in mid-air.[2]
References
- ^ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Swearingen SA227-AC Metro III D-CABB Kettwig". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
- ^ a b c "BERICHT über die Untersuchung des Flugunfalles mit dem Flugzeug SA 227 - AC, Metro 111, D - CABB, am 8. Februar 1988 bei Kettwig AZ.: 1 X 0001/88" [REPORT on the investigation of the air accident involving the aircraft SA 227 - AC, Metro 111, D - CABB, on February 8 1988, near Kettwig AZ.: 1 X 0001/88] (PDF) (in German). Braunschweig. 26 June 1989. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 March 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
- ^ "NFD Luftverkehrs - Nürnberger Flugdienst | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives". www.baaa-acro.com. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
External links
- Final accident report (in German) - Luftfahrt-Bundesamt