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Flydubai Flight 981
Flydubai Flight 981 (FZ981/FDB981) was a scheduled international passenger flight from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to Rostov-on-Don, Russia. On 19 March 2016, the Boeing 737-800 aircraft operating the flight crashed during a go-around, killing all 62 passengers and crew on board.
The flight occurred at night and the weather at Rostov-on-Don was poor. Flight 981 aborted its first landing attempt and entered a holding pattern for nearly two hours before making a second landing attempt. After aborting the second attempt, the aircraft climbed sharply during the go-around procedure and then descended rapidly and crashed onto the runway.
Flydubai is an Emirati state-owned low-cost carrier with its hub in Dubai. Its chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum is also the chairman of Dubai-based Emirates. Flydubai was founded and commenced operations in 2009, and expanded rapidly. At the time of the crash, it flew to over 100 destinations, including 11 in Russia, with its entire fleet consisting of Boeing 737-800s. Flydubai launched its Rostov-on-Don service in September 2013 with two scheduled flights per week.
The airline had no previous fatal accidents and had an excellent safety record. In 2015, Flydubai passed the safety audit of the IATA, and several days before the crash had become an official member of the organization. In the aftermath of the crash, Flydubai pilots raised concerns about duty-related fatigue. One pilot who told BBC News that staff had insufficient time to rest between shifts also informed senior management, who replied that "we don't have a fatigue issue at Flydubai." Another employee estimated that most of the 25 pilots (from a total of 600) who resigned from the airline in 2016 had done so because of "fatigue, rosters and quality of life." Some of the pilots believed that an accident was inevitable. In response to the allegations, Flydubai stated: "We are unable to disclose confidential information relating to our employees."
The aircraft involved was a five-year-old Boeing 737-8KN, registered as A6-FDN, MSN 40241, and was powered by two CFM International CFM56-7B27 engines.[citation needed] Its first flight occurred on 21 December 2010 and it was delivered to Flydubai on 24 January 2011.[citation needed] The aircraft had passed a C-grade maintenance check on 21 January 2016.
The plane, which carried enough fuel for 8.5 hours of flight, had been flying for six hours prior to the crash.
The captain was 37-year-old Aristos Sokratous from Cyprus, who had over 6,000 hours of total flying time, including 4,905 hours on the Boeing 737. Sokratous was promoted to captain a year and a half before the crash. At the time of the crash, he intended to quit the airline after accepting a job from Ryanair that would allow him to return to be with his family in Cyprus. His wife was due to give birth to their first child a few weeks after the crash. According to several Flydubai staff members, Sokratous decided to leave the airline mainly because of fatigue and lifestyle issues, and Flight 981 was one of his last flights with the airline.
The first officer, 36-year-old Alejandro Álava Cruz from Spain, had more than 5,700 hours of flying time, with 1,100 on the Boeing 737. He began work with Flydubai in 2013 and had previously flown for two regional airlines in the Spanish Canary Islands, Binter Canarias and NAYSA, before joining the airline.
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Flydubai Flight 981
Flydubai Flight 981 (FZ981/FDB981) was a scheduled international passenger flight from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to Rostov-on-Don, Russia. On 19 March 2016, the Boeing 737-800 aircraft operating the flight crashed during a go-around, killing all 62 passengers and crew on board.
The flight occurred at night and the weather at Rostov-on-Don was poor. Flight 981 aborted its first landing attempt and entered a holding pattern for nearly two hours before making a second landing attempt. After aborting the second attempt, the aircraft climbed sharply during the go-around procedure and then descended rapidly and crashed onto the runway.
Flydubai is an Emirati state-owned low-cost carrier with its hub in Dubai. Its chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum is also the chairman of Dubai-based Emirates. Flydubai was founded and commenced operations in 2009, and expanded rapidly. At the time of the crash, it flew to over 100 destinations, including 11 in Russia, with its entire fleet consisting of Boeing 737-800s. Flydubai launched its Rostov-on-Don service in September 2013 with two scheduled flights per week.
The airline had no previous fatal accidents and had an excellent safety record. In 2015, Flydubai passed the safety audit of the IATA, and several days before the crash had become an official member of the organization. In the aftermath of the crash, Flydubai pilots raised concerns about duty-related fatigue. One pilot who told BBC News that staff had insufficient time to rest between shifts also informed senior management, who replied that "we don't have a fatigue issue at Flydubai." Another employee estimated that most of the 25 pilots (from a total of 600) who resigned from the airline in 2016 had done so because of "fatigue, rosters and quality of life." Some of the pilots believed that an accident was inevitable. In response to the allegations, Flydubai stated: "We are unable to disclose confidential information relating to our employees."
The aircraft involved was a five-year-old Boeing 737-8KN, registered as A6-FDN, MSN 40241, and was powered by two CFM International CFM56-7B27 engines.[citation needed] Its first flight occurred on 21 December 2010 and it was delivered to Flydubai on 24 January 2011.[citation needed] The aircraft had passed a C-grade maintenance check on 21 January 2016.
The plane, which carried enough fuel for 8.5 hours of flight, had been flying for six hours prior to the crash.
The captain was 37-year-old Aristos Sokratous from Cyprus, who had over 6,000 hours of total flying time, including 4,905 hours on the Boeing 737. Sokratous was promoted to captain a year and a half before the crash. At the time of the crash, he intended to quit the airline after accepting a job from Ryanair that would allow him to return to be with his family in Cyprus. His wife was due to give birth to their first child a few weeks after the crash. According to several Flydubai staff members, Sokratous decided to leave the airline mainly because of fatigue and lifestyle issues, and Flight 981 was one of his last flights with the airline.
The first officer, 36-year-old Alejandro Álava Cruz from Spain, had more than 5,700 hours of flying time, with 1,100 on the Boeing 737. He began work with Flydubai in 2013 and had previously flown for two regional airlines in the Spanish Canary Islands, Binter Canarias and NAYSA, before joining the airline.