The Incident of Emirates Flight EK-521: A Deep Dive into the Crash Landing and Its Aftermath

Introduction

On August 3, 2016, Emirates Flight EK-521, a Boeing 777-300 commercial airliner, experienced a dramatic crash-landing at Dubai International Airport. This incident has since been the subject of extensive investigation, leading to crucial discussions on aviation safety and the importance of proper crew training and procedure adherence.

Key Details of the Incident

Crash Landing

The aircraft, which was scheduled to fly from Thiruvananthapuram, India, to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, attempted to land but encountered severe difficulties. It struck the runway with such force that it resulted in a fire, ultimately leading to the loss of the aircraft. This event remains one of the most significant aviation disasters in recent history.

Evacuation

Despite the critical nature of the incident, the evacuation of all 300 people on board was carried out successfully. Although injuries were reported among passengers and crew during the evacuation, no fatalities were recorded. This aspect of the incident highlights the critical importance of emergency procedures in commercial aviation.

Cause

The investigation revealed that the primary cause of the crash was a failure by the crew to properly manage the aircraft's descent and approach. Specifically, the crew failed to recognize the high rate of descent, which resulted in the aircraft landing harder than intended. This oversight led to a critical malfunction, ultimately causing the aircraft to crash.

Aftermath

The incident raised significant questions about pilot training and safety procedures, leading to discussions on improving safety protocols in aviation. It also highlighted the importance of effective cockpit resource management and adherence to standard operating procedures to ensure the safety of passengers and crew.

Observations from the Ground

From my vantage point at the Dubai Airport, several key observations were made regarding the incident. My office is located along the road to the emergency vehicle marshalling area, approximately a few hundred meters from the site of the landing. The plane was directed to land near the fire station, which aligns with the crew's decision to position the aircraft as close as possible to emergency services. This strategic placement could have been influenced by the tower's knowledge of the potential issues the plane was facing.

Before seeing the smoke, we started hearing sirens from multiple rescue vehicles passing by. This led my colleagues and me to believe that the first vehicles were en route before the plane crashed. The plane was directed in such a way that it was as close as possible to the fire station and additional reinforcements were called. This response indicates a high level of preparedness and coordination within the airport's emergency services.

Regarding the cause of the incident, the most likely scenario, based on our observations and understanding of the standard procedure, is that the crew experienced an error when deploying the landing gears. One of the gears apparently reported as deployed but was not actually locked. The procedure requires the aircraft to fly into the view of the tower, where someone will confirm that the gears are indeed deployed. However, a visual inspection did not report any issues. In this case, the decision was made to land the plane as close to the emergency services as possible, regardless of whether the gear was locked or not.

If the gear was not locked, it would result in a severe crash, as we witnessed. However, if the gear was locked but not confirmed as such, the aircraft would have to taxi longer to its stand. Fortunately, it was confirmed that the gear was not locked, leading to the worst-case scenario and the subsequent crash.

Conclusion

The incident of Emirates Flight EK-521 serves as a stark reminder of the importance of consistent training and adherence to standard operating procedures in aviation. The investigation into this event has led to crucial discussions on improving safety measures and cockpit management to prevent similar incidents in the future.