2015 Seville Airbus A400M crash

Cargo aircraft crash in 2015 Results of the official investigation became known in 2017 (, ) but haven't been used here August 2018 January 2025 2015 Seville A400M crash A400M-1969.jpg 1.1 The second prototype of the Airbus A400M Atlas Accident 2015 05 09 y Multiple engine failure during test flight La Rinconada, Spain 37.3667 N 5.9944 W type:event inline,title Airbus A400M Atlas Airbus Defence and Space CASA423 EC-403 Seville Airport, Spain 6 6 4 2 2 On 9 May 2015, an Airbus A400M Atlas military transport aircraft on a test flight crashed at La Rinconada, Spain, less than 5 km mi from Seville Airport at around 1:00 pm local time, killing 4 of the 6 crew. Aircraft The aircraft, serial number MSN023, was on its first pre-delivery test flight and was scheduled to be the third A400M to be delivered to the Turkish Air Force. The delivery was scheduled for June 2015.https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/09/spanish-air-force-cargo-plane-crashes-near-seville-airport Spanish air force cargo plane on test flight crashes near Seville airport The Guardian 9 May 2015 10 May 2015 31 August 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240831181110/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/09/spanish-air-force-cargo-plane-crashes-near-seville-airport live The aircraft was being flown by an Airbus Defence and Space test crew and used the callsign CASA423. 2015 May, Airbus had delivered just 12 of the 174 ordered and the programme had been plagued by persistent quality issues, both in the final assembly facility in Spain, and in Germany.https://www.ft.com/content/3632bb00-f64f-11e4-93d0-00144feab7de Spanish minister defends European aviation after Airbus crash The Financial Times 10 May 2015 11 May 2015 Hollinger Peggy 10 May 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150510221602/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3632bb00-f64f-11e4-93d0-00144feab7de.html live Flight The pilots had reported that the plane had a technical fault and asked for permission to land, but hit an electricity pylon while attempting an emergency landing.http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-spain-crash-idUKKBN0NU0G920150509 Airbus A400M military transporter crashes on test flight, killing four Reuters 9 May 2015 9 May 2015 22 December 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20151222074526/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-spain-crash-idUKKBN0NU0G920150509 dead Tracking data from the Flightradar24 website indicated the plane had veered to the left before coming down and that it had reached a maximum altitude of 1,725 ft m before descending at a constant speed of about 160 kn.https://www.wsj.com/articles/airbus-a400m-transport-plane-crashes-in-spain-1431177546 Airbus A400M Transport Plane Crashes in Spain Wall Street Journal 9 May 2015 9 May 2015 9 May 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150509190028/http://www.wsj.com/articles/airbus-a400m-transport-plane-crashes-in-spain-1431177546 live The six aircraft crew were Spanish employees of Airbus Defence and Space. Four of them were killed and the remaining two seriously injured. Three local men helped the two survivors, a mechanic and an engineer, escape from the wreckage.http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/2015/05/14/spanish-air-force-takes-over-airbus-a400m-crash-probe/27299651/ Spanish Air Force Takes Over Airbus A400M Crash Probe Defense News 14 May 2015 15 May 2015 31 August 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240831181101/https://www.defensenews.com/home/2015/05/14/spanish-air-force-takes-over-airbus-a400m-crash-probe/ live Aftermath left y July 2024 San Pablo Airport was closed following the accident. The Royal Air Force "temporarily paused" flying its two Atlas cargo planes as a result of this accident. The German, Malaysian, and Turkish air forces suspended operations of their A400M fleets following the accident. Black Boxes of Crashed A400M Plane Found, Aircraft Grounded 10 May 2015 http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/international/europe/2015/05/10/black-boxes-crashed-plane-found-aircraft-grounded/27083231/ 10 May 2015 31 August 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240831181103/https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2015/05/10/black-boxes-of-crashed-a400m-plane-found-aircraft-grounded/ live French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on 10 May 2015 that "only flights of extreme importance for operations will be allowed." One of Britain's A400Ms was reportedly stuck in New Mexico awaiting the lifting of the British defence ministry's self-imposed flight pause. Spain withdrew Airbus's permit to conduct flight tests of the A400M in Spain pending the results of the investigation. Spain withdraws permit for Airbus A400M test flights https://apnews.com/3e671396e17549c097993c29100e43fb www.apnewsarchive.com 12 May 2015 12 May 2015 25 September 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200925080504/https://apnews.com/3e671396e17549c097993c29100e43fb live In a letter to employees on 11 May 2015, Airbus chairman Tom Enders said, "We want to show our clients and air forces that we are fully confident in this excellent transport plane." Testing of the A400M resumed the following day, with Fernando Alonso, head of Airbus Military, on board the test flight acting as a flight engineer. The flight was not affected by Spain's halt on test flights because the Airbus-owned prototype test plane, MSN4, was not scheduled for delivery.http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/2015/05/12/airbus-holds-first-a400m-test-flight-since-crash/27182625/ Airbus Holds First A400M Test Flight Since Crash Defense News 12 May 2015 12 May 2015 31 August 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240831181102/https://www.defensenews.com/home/2015/05/12/airbus-holds-first-a400m-test-flight-since-crash/ live At the time, approximately twenty A400Ms were on the Seville assembly line in different stages of production, each of which had to undergo testing before delivery. Airbus said on 12 May 2015 that "It is too early to know what impact [Spain's] decision will have on the supply chain." A400M MSN4 was to be used to complete the development of new capabilities through the Standard Operating Clearances process; SOC1.5 which finalised aerial delivery, cargo-handling systems, self-defence systems, and air-to-air refueling using wing-mounted pods.http://aviationweek.com/defense/a400m-crash-adds-airlifter-program-s-woes A400M Crash Adds To Airlifter Program's Woes Aviation Week 14 May 2015 18 May 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150518102749/http://aviationweek.com/defense/a400m-crash-adds-airlifter-program-s-woes live On 14 May 2015, the Spanish Defence Ministry confirmed that Spain's military air crash investigation agency, CITAAM, had taken charge of the investigation of the crash. The Spanish government had initially charged a civilian team, made up of experts from the transport and defence ministries, with the task, but the civilian team "took the decision to withdraw because they understood that the plane has specific characteristics due to its military configuration which they were unfamiliar with," according to a Defence Ministry spokesman. On 19 May 2015, Airbus Defence and Space requested all operators of its A400M airlifter to conduct one-time specific checks on electronic control units (ECUs) fitted to the TP400 turboprop engines on the aircraft.https://www.ft.com/content/546f404a-fe22-11e4-8efb-00144feabdc0 Airbus urges extra tests on A400M Financial Times 19 May 2015 20 May 2015 Hollinger Peggy 23 May 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150523004814/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/546f404a-fe22-11e4-8efb-00144feabdc0.html live The company also has introduced additional detailed checks, to be carried out in the event of subsequent engine or ECU replacement. Airbus said these checks were necessary to "avoid potential risks in any future flights," and added that the alert had resulted from its internal analysis and was issued as "part of the continued airworthiness activities, independently from the ongoing official investigation into the accident." On 21 May 2015, it emerged that the secretaries of state of the A400M member countries had established a Program Monitoring Team (PMT) to analyze and judge Airbus plans to bring the A400M project back on track and to schedule visits to the final-assembly line in Seville, Spain, and other A400M-production facilities. The first conclusions on program recovery made by the PMT include the observation that Airbus still does not have an integrated approach to production, development and retrofits, but treats these as separate programs.http://aviationweek.com/defense/a400m-countries-form-monitoring-team-germany-warns-airlift-gap A400M Countries Form Monitoring Team, Germany Warns Of Airlift Gap 21 May 2015 Aviation Week 21 May 2015 22 May 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150522023103/http://aviationweek.com/defense/a400m-countries-form-monitoring-team-germany-warns-airlift-gap live On 11 June 2015, Spain's Ministry of Defence announced that Airbus could restart test flights for A400M prototypes in Spain. The Ministry confirmed that its specialist aerospace unit had met with Airbus to discuss flight permits, and that further permits relating to the plane program could be granted in the coming days.https://www.reuters.com/article/us-spain-airbus-flights-idUSKBN0OR2H920150611 Airbus can restart A400M test flights in Spain after crash: Defense Ministry 11 June 2015 Reuters 5 July 2021 18 October 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20151018162055/http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/11/us-spain-airbus-flights-idUSKBN0OR2H920150611 live The UK Royal Air Force lifted its suspension on A400M flights on 16 June 2015, followed the next day by the Turkish Air Force. "Having undertaken and completed a series of thorough checks on the UK's A400M aircraft and how it is operated, the RAF is now satisfied that the additional processes and procedures introduced means it is now safe for the RAF to resume flying," the UK Ministry of Defence said.https://www.ft.com/content/1bb48a60-1445-11e5-9bc5-00144feabdc0 Airbus hoping to resume A400M deliveries 17 June 2015 Financial Times 17 June 2015 31 August 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240831180126/https://www.ft.com/content/1bb48a60-1445-11e5-9bc5-00144feabdc0?_i_location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2Fcms%2Fs%2F0%2F1bb48a60-1445-11e5-9bc5-00144feabdc0.html%3Fftcamp%3Dpublished_links%2Frss%2Fcompanies%2Ffeed%2F%2Fproduct&_i_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsdump.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fairbus-hoping-to-resume-a400m-deliveries&ftcamp=published_links/rss/companies/feed//product#axzz3dIMOj1Oi live The first German Air Force A400M to fly post-crash took off from Wunstorf Air Base on 14 July 2015. Pilot Lt.Col. Christian Schott, part of Wunstorf's 10-strong operational testing and evaluation team, said, "the problems that led to the crash in Seville can be ruled out for our A400M... our aircraft has been thoroughly checked."http://aviationweek.com/blog/german-a400m-airborne-again German A400M Airborne Again 14 July 2015 Aviation Week 16 July 2015 16 July 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150716203036/http://aviationweek.com/blog/german-a400m-airborne-again live The first production-standard aircraft to leave the Seville final assembly line (FAL) after the 9 May grounding enacted by Spanish authorities was delivered to the French Air Force on 19 June, the day the flight suspension was lifted. The aircraft in question, MSN019, was the seventh delivered to France and the 13th delivered overall. The FAL also completed four aircraft for the United Kingdom, which underwent pre-delivery checks and trials before being flown to Royal Air Force (RAF) Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.http://www.janes.com/article/52483/airbus-resumes-a400m-customer-deliveries Airbus resumes A400M customer deliveries 22 June 2015 IHS Jane's 360 24 June 2015 24 June 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150624035326/http://www.janes.com/article/52483/airbus-resumes-a400m-customer-deliveries live Investigation The Spanish government confirmed on 10 May 2015 that the plane's flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder had been recovered.https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/spain/11595899/Heroic-Spanish-farmer-dragged-survivors-out-of-Seville-plane-crash.html Heroic Spanish farmer dragged survivors out of Seville plane crash The Daily Telegraph 10 May 2015 11 May 2015 10 May 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150510220138/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/spain/11595899/Heroic-Spanish-farmer-dragged-survivors-out-of-Seville-plane-crash.html live Despite being examined by a joint team from the Spanish ministries of development and defence, the Spanish authorities subsequently passed the recorders to the French military air accident investigation agency BEAD to extract and analyze the data. On 13 May 2015 it emerged that technical issues were slowing retrieval of the crash data; General Bruno Caïtucoli, head of BEAD, reported that "there are technical issues in reading the system, and it is a question of compatibility between systems, so we are still trying to extract data. The extracting system we are using belongs to the French defence procurement agency DGA," Caïtucoli said, noting that the problem appeared to be a compatibility issue between the recorders and the DGA's data reading system, rather than an issue with the condition of the recorders themselves.http://aviationweek.com/defense/tech-issues-slow-retrieval-a400m-crash-data Tech Issues Slow Retrieval Of A400M Crash Data Aviation Week 13 May 2015 19 May 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150519053850/http://aviationweek.com/defense/tech-issues-slow-retrieval-a400m-crash-data live Several reports suggested that as many as three of the aircraft's four engines failed during the A400M's departure from Seville.http://aviationweek.com/defense/a400m-crash-adds-airlifter-program-s-woes?NL=AW-05&Issue=AW-05_20150515_AW-05_837&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_2_b A400M Crash Adds To Airlifter Program's Woes Aviation Week 15 May 2015 31 August 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240831181122/https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/a400m-crash-adds-airlifter-programs-woes?Issue=AW-05_20150515_AW-05_837&NL=AW-05&cl=article_2_b&sfvc4enews=42 live Airbus initially focused on whether the crash was caused by new management software for the engine-fuel supply, designed to trim the fuel tanks to permit the aircraft to fly certain military manoeuvres. There appeared to have been a trimming issue, leading to strong banking that was not recoverable and that the fuel supply was re-established, but not quickly enough for recovery to safe flight.http://aviationweek.com/defense/software-cut-fuel-supply-stricken-a400m/ Software Cut Off Fuel Supply In Stricken A400M Aviation Week 19 May 2015 22 May 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150522041206/http://aviationweek.com/defense/software-cut-fuel-supply-stricken-a400m live Airbus Chief Strategy Officer Marwan Lahoud confirmed on 29 May that incorrectly installed engine control software caused the fatal crash. "The black boxes attest to that there are no structural defects [with the aircraft], but we have a serious quality problem in the final assembly."https://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/05/31/airbus_software_config_brought_down_a400m/ Airbus confirms software brought down A400M transport plane Chirgwin Richard 31 May 2015 The Register 20 February 2016 20 September 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180920195814/https://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/05/31/airbus_software_config_brought_down_a400m/ live Two days earlier, Airbus CEO Tom Enders criticized Spanish agencies for withholding the flight recorder data. "We would like to see the data and compare it with our hypothesis and proceed quickly to understand the causes of accident, so our aircraft can get back into the air," he told shareholders at the company's annual general meeting in Amsterdam on 27 May.http://aviationweek.com/defense/incorrectly-installed-engine-software-caused-a400m-crash-airbus-official-says Incorrectly Installed Engine Software Caused A400M Crash, Airbus Official Says 27 May 2015 Aviation Week 30 May 2015 29 May 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150529222746/http://aviationweek.com/defense/incorrectly-installed-engine-software-caused-a400m-crash-airbus-official-says live https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-33078767 Fatal A400M crash linked to data-wipe mistake Leo Kelion 10 June 2015 BBC 10 June 2015 10 June 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150610200922/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-33078767 live Senior Airbus executive, Fabrice Bregier, said on 30 May 2015 that there was "either a weakness in the test procedure of planes before they fly, or a problem that results from the implementation of these procedures."http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/international/europe/2015/06/03/airbus-says-3-of-4-engines-failed-in-spain-a400m-crash/28399947/ Airbus Says 3 of 4 Engines Failed in Spain A400M Crash 27 May 2015 Defense News 4 June 2015 31 August 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240831180125/https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2015/06/03/airbus-says-3-of-4-engines-failed-in-spain-a400m-crash/ live On 3 June 2015 Airbus announced that investigators had confirmed "that engines one, two and three experienced power frozen after lift-off and did not respond to the crew's attempts to control the power setting in the normal way. Preliminary analyses have shown that all other aircraft systems performed normally and did not identify any other abnormalities throughout the flight." The key scenario being examined by investigators is that the torque calibration parameter data was accidentally wiped on three engines as the engine software was being installed at Airbus facilities, which would prevent the FADECs from operating. Under the A400M's design, the first warning pilots would receive of the engine data problem would be when the plane was 120 m ft in the air; on the ground, there is no cockpit alert.https://www.reuters.com/article/us-airbus-a400m-idUSKBN0OP2AS20150609 A400M probe focuses on impact of accidental data wipe Reuters 9 June 2015 9 June 2015 3 November 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20151103220945/http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/09/us-airbus-a400m-idUSKBN0OP2AS20150609 live References 30em Spanish air force cargo plane crashes near Seville airport https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/09/spanish-air-force-cargo-plane-crashes-near-seville-airport The Guardian 9 May 2015 Damien Gayle David Feeney 9 May 2015 31 August 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240831181110/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/09/spanish-air-force-cargo-plane-crashes-near-seville-airport live http://airbusdefenceandspace.com/newsroom/news-and-features/9th-may-2015-18-30-accident-a400m-in-seville/ UPDATE NR1 – Accident A400M in Seville airbusdefenceandspace.com 9 May 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150511221623/http://airbusdefenceandspace.com/newsroom/news-and-features/9th-may-2015-18-30-accident-a400m-in-seville 11 May 2015 dead https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-32673713 Airbus military plane crashes near Spain's Seville airport BBC News 9 May 2015 9 May 2015 9 May 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150509125009/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-32673713 live Tony Osborne http://aviationweek.com/defense/airbus-a400m-crashes-during-test-flight Airbus A400M Crashes During Test Flight Aviation Week & Space Technology 9 May 2015 26 October 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180401030324/http://aviationweek.com/defense/airbus-a400m-crashes-during-test-flight 1 April 2018 live http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/military-plane-crashes-near-seville-airport-1.2206718 At least three dead after military plane crash in Spain Irish Times 9 May 2015 12 September 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190912055619/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/four-dead-after-military-plane-crash-in-spain-1.2206718 live "Seville airport closed after military transport plane crashes" https://web.archive.org/web/20150925191718/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/seville-airport-closed-after-military-transport-plane-crashes-near-cocacola-factory-10238272.html 25 September 2015 The Independent, 9 May 2015. http://www.elmundo.es/andalucia/2015/05/09/554df2d6ca4741bd328b456e.html Cuatro muertos tras estrellarse un avión militar A-400M en pruebas junto al aeropuerto de Sevilla Teresa López Pavón 9 May 2015 El Mundo 9 May 2015 9 May 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150509200737/http://www.elmundo.es/andalucia/2015/05/09/554df2d6ca4741bd328b456e.html live Military Plane Crashes During Seville Test Flight http://news.sky.com/story/1480806/military-plane-crashes-during-seville-test-flight 9 May 2015 Sky News 9 May 2015 skynews 4 March 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160304110105/http://news.sky.com/story/1480806/military-plane-crashes-during-seville-test-flight live https://www.reuters.com/article/us-spain-crash-germany-idUSKBN0NU0NU20150509 Germany grounds Airbus A400M after Spain crash Reuters 9 May 2015 http://www.flightradar24.com/data/airplanes/casa423/#6362876 CASA423 – Private – Aircraft info and flight history – Flightradar24 flightradar24.com 9 May 2015 24 September 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150924013903/http://www.flightradar24.com/data/airplanes/casa423/#6362876 live External links 20150509-0 Spain Aviation Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in 2015 Category:Aviation accidents and incidents involving military aircraft Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in Spain Category:2015 in Andalusia Category:Province of Seville Category:May 2015 in Spain Category:Software bugs Category:History of the Province of Seville