The flight data and voice recorders, recovered late on Wednesday, will be the key to determine the crash of an airplane with a good safety record, flown by a well-respected airline, at one of the world’s most modern airports.
This is the fourth serious accident since August 2008, when a Spanair MD-80 crashed on take off at Madrid; the others being the Hudson River crash and the fatal Continental Airlines crash at Buffalo, New York on Feb. 12.
The fact that the plane did not catch fire has persuaded some commentators to question how much fuel was onboard the aircraft.
Here are the major scenarios and possibilites circulated in Turkey:
1) VORTEX: A Boeing 777, operated by KLM, was landed just ahead of the crashed Turkish Airlines. Experts say the vortex, Boeing 777 created, may have jeopordized the landing of the Turkish Airlines plane. There was 54 accidents so far caused by vortex.
2) ENGINE FAILURE: Some passengers said they saw smoke rising from the left engine of the plane. Although it is not confirmed, media reports suggest the plane asked for an emergency landing. Photos from the crash scene showed one of the engines lying on the ground far from the plane. But it is unclear whether the engine fell before or after the crash.
3) STALL: The plane might have unexpectedly lost flying speed as it was descending. The possible causes are numerous. They include a loss of engine power because of such things as fuel starvation, ice, a bird strike or a control problem, the experts believe.
4) WINDSHEAR: This could be a possible cause for the crash. Windshear is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere.
Hurriyet Daily News
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