Investigators Found Vehicles Moved Aft As The Plane Departed

Investigators looking into an accident involving a civilian Boeing 747 cargo plane operating in support of the U.S. military in April have turned their focus on the possibility of shifting cargo aboard the airplane as it departed Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.

The New York Times reports that accident investigators in Afghanistan say that the vehicles on board the airplane were thrown so violently back in the cargo hold that parts of the airplane separated from the aircraft and were left on the runway. The extreme aft CG made it impossible for the airplane to fly.

Information obtained from the 747s cockpit voice recorder did not give any evidence that the crew of the plane knew that the cargo had shifted, but a spokesman for Afghanistan's Ministry of Transportation and Civil Aviation said that wiring at the rear of the aircraft showed damage consistent with shifting cargo.

Afghan officials say that it is still too early to know the exact cause of the accident. The only thing that was gleaned from the CVR was the voice of someone shouting "Wait! Wait!," according to spokesman Nangialai Qalatwal, who also indicated that cargo straps recovered from the accident scene appeared to have been cut, but it was not known if that damage occurred before the accident or was caused by the shifting load.

Qalatwal said the cargo had been checked twice before takeoff. There were nearly 80 tons of equipment on board the 747 being transported out of Afghanistan.

The NTSB is assisting with the investigation. The Boeing belonged to Michigan-based National Air Cargo.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov