Staff Report

Dubai – There was no mechanical problem with the Emirates flight, which was involved in a 2016 incident of the crash landing at the Dubai International airport, according to UAE investigators.
A statement issued on Sunday by the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority says, “there were no aircraft systems or engine abnormalities up to the time of the accident.”
The statement says investigators are “working to determine and analyze the human performance factors that influence flight crew actions.”
In a statement, an Emirates spokesperson said: “Our internal investigation is ongoing which includes a thorough review of all training and operational processes and procedures. Emirates is awaiting the publication of the UAE AAIS Annex 13 final investigation report, at which time any safety directives will be implemented and any safety recommendations will be considered. We continue to extend our full cooperation to the investigators as they work towards the final report.”
The August 3 accident destroyed the Boeing 777-300 coming from Thiruvananthapuram, India, but claimed no lives among the 300 passengers and crew. But a firefighter was killed in a subsequent explosion of Flight EK521.
“At approximately 0837:38 UTC, the Aircraft impacted the runway during an attempted go-around at Dubai International Airport. The Aircraft sustained substantial structural damage as a result of the impact and its movement along the runway and was eventually destroyed by fire. Twenty-one passengers, one flight crewmember, and four cabin crew members sustained minor injuries. Four cabin crew members sustained serious injuries. Approximately nine minutes after the aircraft came to rest, a firefighter was fatally injured as a result of the explosion of the centre wing fuel tank,” the statement said.
“Regarding the operation of the flight, the Investigation is working to determine and analyze the human performance factors that influenced flight crew actions during the landing and attempted a go-around. In addition, the Investigation has reviewed and has identified safety enhancements related to the validity of weather information that was passed to the flight crew, and communication between air traffic control and the flight crew,” it said.
“A large number of aircraft systems were tested with the assistance of the manufacturers and analysis of the data downloaded indicates that there were no aircraft systems or engine abnormalities up to the time of the accident,” the statement added. – abdulbasit@theuaenews.com