The DHL shootdown incident in Baghdad occurred on 22 November 2003, aboard an Airbus A300B4-203F cargo plane, registered OO-DLL, operating on behalf of DHL. At around 10,000 feet, the aircraft was hit by a missile which resulted in the loss of its hydraulic systems. The crew later landed an aircraft in this condition safely using only engine throttles and made history. November 22 is the 326th day (327th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Inside view of the terminal, showing an abandoned FIDS in front of empty check-in desks and passport control. ... Baghdad (Arabic: ) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate. ... The Airbus A300 is a short to medium range, wide-body family of aircraft manufactured by Airbus Industries between 1972 and the present. ... Airbus A300B4 Freighter European Air Transport is a cargo airline based in Brussels, Belgium. ... A DHL Boeing 757 A DHL Sprinter van DHL Boat in Venice DHL Truck in Singapore DHL boat in Amsterdam, carrying DHL bicycles aboard DHL is a Deutsche Post company that provides international shipping of documents and freight as well as contract logistics. ... November 22 is the 326th day (327th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the airliner. ... FedEx DC-10 Cargo airlines (or airfreight carriers, and derivatives of these names) are airlines dedicated to the transport of cargo. ... A DHL Boeing 757 A DHL Sprinter van DHL Boat in Venice DHL Truck in Singapore DHL boat in Amsterdam, carrying DHL bicycles aboard DHL is a Deutsche Post company that provides international shipping of documents and freight as well as contract logistics. ...

Destination and crew

The aircraft took off from Baghdad International Airport to Bahrain International Airport at 06:30 UTC with a crew of three: two Belgians (Captain Eric Genotte and co-pilot Steve Michielsen) and a Scotsman (engineer Mario Rafoil), who were experienced pilots. Inside view of the terminal, showing an abandoned FIDS in front of empty check-in desks and passport control. ... Bahrain International Airport (IATA: BAH, ICAO: OBBI) (Arabic: مطار البحرين الدولي; transliterated: Matar al-Bahrayn ad-Dowaly) is an airport located on Al Muharraq, an island on the northern tip of Bahrain, north of the capital, Manama. ... ...

Moments following the strike

At around 9000 feet (2700 metres), a SA-14 ground-to-air missile struck the Airbus on the tip of its left wing. The strike ruptured fuel tanks there, and a gradual fuel leak began. The missile also caused a 5-metre long crack in the wing's rear spar, and punctured all three hydraulic lines in the wing. As the hydraulic fluid bled away, and the crew tried to decide what to do next, the plane started to oscillate up and down in a phugoid cycle, which is characteristic of a hydraulic failure. Captain Gennotte, remembering a broadcast about the United Airlines Flight 232 disaster in the USA in 1989, managed to flatten out the plane's gyrations by use of the throttles. He then put the plane into a turn to line up for their approach to Baghdad International Airport. The 9K34 Strela-3 (Russian 9К34 Стрела-3 - arrow, NATO reporting name SA-14 Gremlin) man-portable air defence missile system (MANPADS) was developed in Soviet Union as a response to the poor performance of the earlier 9K32 Strela-2 (NATO reporting name... A phugoid is an aircraft motion where the vehicle pitches up and climbs, and then pitches down and descends, accompanied by speeding up and slowing down as it goes uphill and downhill. ... United Airlines Flight 232 was a scheduled flight operated by United Airlines between Denver and Philadelphia via Chicago. ... Inside view of the terminal, showing an abandoned FIDS in front of empty check-in desks and passport control. ...

As they circled the area, flight engineer Mario Rafoil executed a gravity drop to extend the landing gear (landing gear was normally operated via hydraulic power). Although the undercarriage lowered successfully, it altered the balance of the aircraft, which began to oscillate upwards. Horrified, the captain reduced power to both engines to pitch the nose down. As the engine approached stall speed, he managed to level the flight out. With the landing gear extended, the Airbus also became easier to control. In aviation, a flight engineer (also referred to as systems operator ) is a member of the aircrew of an aircraft who is responsible for checking the aircraft before and after each flight, and for monitoring aircraft systems during flight. ... Gravity drop refers to the use of gravity to deploy landing gear on an airplane in the event of hydraulic, engine, or power failure. ... Main and nosewheel undercarriage of a Qatar Airways Airbus A330 The undercarriage or landing gear is equipment which supports an aircraft when it is not flying. ...

Approaches

Reverse thrust.

As they approached Runway 33/R, it became clear that they were too high to safely attempt a landing. After abandoning the landing attempt, they flew further to give themselves a long final to Runway 33/L, although this increased the danger of the left wing structure failing from the fire. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (2048 × 1536 pixel, file size: 553 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Picture of the DHL Airbus attempting to stop. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (2048 × 1536 pixel, file size: 553 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Picture of the DHL Airbus attempting to stop. ...

After nearly 20 kilometres (12 miles), the crew felt satisfied they could come round by applying more power to the left engine to bank right, they swung round, and managed to line up with Runway 33/L. However, as happened to UA232, at 400 feet (120 metres), crosswinds disturbed the plane's flight path. The plane touched down on the runway, veered off to the left, and came to a stop in the sand at the side of the runway.

Mines

After landing successfully, the crew deployed the emergency slides and saw for themselves the extensive damage done to the left wing. They also received the bad news from the airport's emergency crew that the area was littered with unexploded explosives from the 2nd Gulf War. They were told to leave the area by following the fire truck's wheel tracks.

Port wing damage

Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1656 × 1242 pixel, file size: 242 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Picture of the DHL Airbus showing damage to the outboard port wing. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1656 × 1242 pixel, file size: 242 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Picture of the DHL Airbus showing damage to the outboard port wing. ...

Criticisms and aftermath

The incident became widely discussed because it was the first and only time ever that a crew had managed to land a transport aircraft safely without hydraulics. For Mario Rafoil, the flight engineer, it was a good point on which to retire. An Air France Boeing 777, a modern passenger jet. ... In aviation, a flight engineer (also referred to as systems operator ) is a member of the aircrew of an aircraft who is responsible for checking the aircraft before and after each flight, and for monitoring aircraft systems during flight. ...

DHL also came under criticism for ordering crew members into Iraq without any additional danger pay. A DHL Boeing 757 A DHL Sprinter van DHL Boat in Venice DHL Truck in Singapore DHL boat in Amsterdam, carrying DHL bicycles aboard DHL is a Deutsche Post company that provides international shipping of documents and freight as well as contract logistics. ...

The Airbus was repaired and offered for sale in 2005.

See also

• United Airlines Flight 232
• Japan Airlines Flight 123
• Flying an airplane without control surfaces

United Airlines Flight 232 was a scheduled flight operated by United Airlines between Denver and Philadelphia via Chicago. ... Japan Airlines Flight 123 was a JAL domestic flight from Tokyo International Airport in Haneda to Osaka International Airport in Itami. ... There have been aviation incidents in which the control surfaces became unavailable, typically due to loss of hydraulics. ...

External links

• Aviation Safety Network profile, with pictures
• Yahoo Video footage
• Hawker's gallery of the incident
• AFP article about the incident

Sources and references

• Air Crash Investigation, Season 3, Episode 2: Attack Over Baghdad