Narrative:
Boeing 747 D-ABYB was taking off for the last leg of the Frankfurt (FRA) - Nairobi (NBO) - Johannesburg (JNB) flight when the crew felt vibration or buffeting following lift off. The captain, suspecting wheel imbalance, raised the gear. A lack of acceleration forced the crew to lower the nose in order to maintain airspeed. The Boeing continued to descend however and contacted the ground 1120 m past the end of runway 24 and struck an elevated road 114 m further on. The aircraft broke up and caught fire before coming to rest 454 m past the initial point of impact.
PROBABLE CAUSE: "The accident was caused by the crew initiating a take-off with the leading edge flaps retracted because the pneumatic system which operates them had not been switched on. This resulted in the aircraft becoming airborne in a partially stalled condition which the pilots did not identify in the short time available to them for recovery. Major contributory factors were the lack of warning of a critical condition of leading edge flap position and the failure of the crew to complete satisfactorily their checklist items."
Runway excursion
» ICAO Circular 132-AN/93 (181-194)
accident date: 20-11-1974
type: Boeing 747-130
registration: D-ABYB
accident date: 20-11-1974
type: Boeing 747-130
registration: D-ABYB
| Status: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
| Date: | Wednesday 20 November 1974 |
| Time: | 07:54 |
| Type: |  Boeing 747-130 |
| Operator: | Lufthansa |
| Registration: | D-ABYB |
| MSN: | 19747/29 |
| First flight: | 1970-03-30 (4 years 8 months) |
| Total airframe hrs: | 16781 |
| Engines: | 4 Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7 |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 17 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 55 / Occupants: 140 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 59 / Occupants: 157 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Aircraft fate: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | Nairobi International Airport (NBO) ( Kenya)
|
| Phase: | Takeoff (TOF) |
| Nature: | International Scheduled Passenger |
| Departure airport: | Nairobi International Airport (NBO/HKNA), Kenya |
| Johannesburg International Airport (JNB/FAJS), South Africa | |
| Flightnumber: | LH540 |
Boeing 747 D-ABYB was taking off for the last leg of the Frankfurt (FRA) - Nairobi (NBO) - Johannesburg (JNB) flight when the crew felt vibration or buffeting following lift off. The captain, suspecting wheel imbalance, raised the gear. A lack of acceleration forced the crew to lower the nose in order to maintain airspeed. The Boeing continued to descend however and contacted the ground 1120 m past the end of runway 24 and struck an elevated road 114 m further on. The aircraft broke up and caught fire before coming to rest 454 m past the initial point of impact.
Probable Cause:
PROBABLE CAUSE: "The accident was caused by the crew initiating a take-off with the leading edge flaps retracted because the pneumatic system which operates them had not been switched on. This resulted in the aircraft becoming airborne in a partially stalled condition which the pilots did not identify in the short time available to them for recovery. Major contributory factors were the lack of warning of a critical condition of leading edge flap position and the failure of the crew to complete satisfactorily their checklist items."
Classification:
Wrong takeoff configuration (flaps/trim) Runway excursion
Sources:
» Flight International 28 August 1976 (481)» ICAO Circular 132-AN/93 (181-194)
Photos
accident date: 20-11-1974
type: Boeing 747-130
registration: D-ABYB
accident date: 20-11-1974
type: Boeing 747-130
registration: D-ABYB
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Nairobi International Airport to Johannesburg International Airport as the crow flies is 2898 km (1812 miles).
Accident location: Exact; deduced from official accident report.
Distance from Nairobi International Airport to Johannesburg International Airport as the crow flies is 2898 km (1812 miles).
Accident location: Exact; deduced from official accident report.
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
languages: 
Kenya
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Boeing 747
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- 3rd loss
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