The DFDR was read the same night by the Brétigny sur Orge Flight Test Centre: Investigators found that the aircraft had been airworthy, that its weight and centre-of-gravity had been within limits, and that there was no evidence of mechanical or electronic systems failure. The flight attendant then began evacuating the passengers but they soon began to pile up at the bottom of the slide as their route was blocked by trees and branches. Also punished with suspended sentences were Air France’s then-director of air operations, a security official for Air France, and the president of the Habsheim air club. The Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) continued to operate for about 1.5 seconds after the initial impact. The accident aircraft, an Airbus A320-111, registration F-GFKC, serial number 9, first flew on 6 January 1988 and was delivered to Air France on 23 June, three days prior to its destruction. When the evacuation continued, the flight attendant stayed at the door, helping passengers, until she began suffering from smoke inhalation. According to French law, Asseline was required to submit himself to the prison system before his case could be taken up by the Cour de Cassation. The Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) continued to operate for about one second, then recorded nonsensical data for another two seconds. The captain would slow the aircraft to its minimum flying speed with maximum angle of attack, disable the "alpha floor" (the function that would otherwise automatically increase engine thrust when the angle of attack reached 15°) and rely on the first officer to adjust the engine thrust manually to maintain 100 feet. [3], The flight plan was that as they approached the airfield, they would extend third-stage flap, lower the landing gear, and line up for level flight at 100 feet (30 m). When the crew suddenly asked the plane for more power and lift, it simply ignored them. The captain, Michel Asseline, disputed the report and claimed an error in the fly-by-wire computer prevented him from applying thrust and pulling up. [3], The medical team from the airshow arrived and began examining the passengers. Today, the captain, Michel Asseline has lost his French pilot license for 8 years. The others were sentenced to probation. A passenger tried to open the left-side overwing exit. In the process, the purser and the passenger were thrown out of the fuselage with the slide landing on top of them. 12:45:35 - nose-up attitude is now 15° and speed is 122 knots. Hundreds of spectators witnessed the June 26, 1988, crash at the Mulhouse-Habsheim air show. All five were found guilty. Three seconds later, the aircraft descends through 40 feet (12 m) at an airspeed of 132 knots. During the appeal process, Asseline's sentence was increased to ten months of imprisonment along with ten months of probation. Er riskiert zuviel und stürzt ab. Local emergency services were informed by radio communication. It would not open, which was fortunate as there was by that time a fire on the left wing. Pilot was sentenced to imprisonment for about a year. A further ten seconds later, 'Flaps 2' is selected. The plane clipped some trees during a low pass over the airfield and plunged into a forest. Very low flyover height, lower than surrounding obstacles; Speed very slow and reducing to reach maximum possible angle of attack; Passengers should be banned from all demonstration flights, Flight crews should be provided with – and ensure – proper reconnaissance of airfields, Airline company procedures should be reviewed to ensure they comply with official regulations concerning altitude, This page was last edited on 5 November 2020, at 06:38. The third was a woman who had reached the front door and then returned to help the girl. [3] Additionally, the captain was expecting from the flight plan to do the pass over runway 02 (3,281 feet (1,000 m) long, paved) and was preparing for that alignment. [3], Of 136 people on board, three did not escape. Both pilots Captain Asseline and First Officer Mazière survived. The pilot, Michel Asseline, stumbled out of the blazing wreck saying the engines failed to pick up. The SNPL supported the pilot then gradually stood back and let things happen, when expert examination of the black boxes produced overwhelming evidence showing the A320 to be perfect. [3], The official investigation was carried out by the Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile (BEA), the French air accident investigation bureau, in conjunction with Air France and Airbus. Ten minutes after the crash, the first of the fire trucks arrived. But because of the forest, only the smaller vehicles were able to reach the wreckage. Flight deck crew. The transcription was later clarified with the assistance of the pilots involved. The aircraft levels off at 30 feet (9.1 m). [1] A training captain since 1979, Asseline was appointed to head the company's A320 training subdivision at the end of 1987. [3], The flight deck crew believed that the engines had failed to respond to the application of full power.