On rotation the captain suddenly became aware of serious engine-trouble

The plane did provide enough thrust to get the giant airborne

Once straithend at 6.000 feet the damage was assessed as to severe to continue the flight. An emergency-landing was demanded and granted.

In a gentle and long turn, the plane moved itself into patern for an ILS landing on runway 20

Moments before landing all systems went down, no speed nor hight-indications and winter circumstances formed a formidable challenge for the flightcrew

Yet the odds were against the aging beauty. She hitted the tarmac to hard with the right gear, causing a flip of the plane towards the left...

Fearfull minutes later the plane glided to a stop, several hundred meters away from the runway. Luckely there were only injured passengers and no casualties. Some injured however remain in a critical condition and were moved to nearby hospitals in Brussels...

An investigation will have to determine the source of the problems, though some witnesses report the tail of the plane smacking on the tarmac on take-off...


















