| Bijlmerramp |
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The plane, a cargo jet belonging to the Israeli carrier on engine 3 sheared inappropriately due to Corrosion , leaving the pod to tilt up and right due to gyroscopic forces, knocking engine 4 off the wing too. A China Airlines 747-200F freighter was brought down by the same causes in December 1991 . The crew remained unaware of the extent of the damage, being unable to see the wing. After circling twice the plane returned to the airport and attempted to land. During the approach the flaps were extended, which apparently rendered the plane uncontrollable. At 18h35 the heavily loaded plane crashed into a row of high-rise apartments called ''Groeneveen''. The building caught fire and partially collapsed, destroying dozens of apartments. The number of casualties was relatively low (43 compared to the 200 or more expected), as the plane did not carry passengers and most residents of the building were not at home at the time of the crash. Some people believe that the number of casualties was higher than 43, as many illegal residents were suspected to have lived in the building. About 45 houses were completely destroyed. CARGO CONCERNS The plane's cargo included, amongst other things: bullets, spare parts for AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, spare parts for Patriot Missile s and 190 Litre s of Dimethyl Methylphosphonate . Dimethyl methylphosphonate is not classified as ''toxic'', but is ''harmful'' if inhaled, swallowed or absorbed through the skin; it is a Chemical Weapons Convention Schedule 2 Chemical used in the synthesis of Sarin nerve gas. The shipment was from a U.S. chemical plant to the Israel Institute For Biological Research under a U.S. Department Of Commerce licence. After the disaster, there were rumours that the Israeli Secret Service had tried to recover some of the cargo, or the flight recording boxes. The plane, like all Boeing 747 s at that time, also contained about 400 kg of Depleted Uranium as trim weight in the tail, a fact unknown during the recovery effort. The flight recording boxes were never found. “Boeing has never used DU on either the 757 or the 767 , and we no longer use it on the 747 ”, Leslie M. Nichols, product spokesperson for Boeing’s 767 , told AFP. “Sometime ago, we switched to Tungsten , because it is heavier, more readily available and more cost effective.” EXTERNAL LINKS |
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