Dubai: A preliminary report by the UAE’s federal aviation authority into the accident involving an Emirates Boeing 777 with 300 people on board reports the pilot attempted to abort the landing after the wheels had already touched down and the plane landed on the runway as the wheels were retracting into the fuselage.
As many as 282 passengers and a further 18 crew on flight EK521 from Thiruvananthapuram, India, escaped the aircraft before it erupted into a fireball on August 3.
A firefighter died tackling the blaze

The GCAA (General Civil Aviation Authority), the federal aviation authority, said it has completed its first stage of the investigation assisted by Emirates, Boeing and engine maker Rolls Royce.
The report was released on Tuesday.


Click to read the full report in PDF

In its initial report in a full investigation expected to take from three to five months, the report stated: “The Aircraft reached a maximum height of approximately 85 feet RA at 134 knots IAS, with the landing gear in transit to the retracted position. The Aircraft then began to sink back onto the runway. Both crewmembers recalled seeing the IAS decreasing and the Copilot called out “Check speed.” At 0837:35, three seconds before impact with the runway, both thrust levers were moved from the idle position to full forward. The autothrottle transitioned from idle to thrust mode. Approximately one second later, a ground proximity warning system (GPWS) aural warning of “Don’t sink, don’t sink” was annunciated,” the report said.
“One second before impact, both engines started to respond to the thrust lever movement showing an increase in related parameters. At 0837:38, the Aircraft aft fuselage impacted the runway abeam the November 7 intersection at 125 knots, with a nose-up pitch angle of 9.5 degrees, and at a rate of descent of 900 feet per minute. This was followed by the impact of the engines on the runway. The three landing gears were still in transit to the retracted position,” the report stated.

Emirates has issued a statement welcoming the GCAA report :
“Emirates welcomes the publication of the Preliminary Report by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) General Civil Aviation Authority Air Accident Investigations Sector (GCAA- AAIS) on the accident involving flight EK521 on 3 August 2016.

As this is a Preliminary Report based on the facts gathered so far during the on-going investigation, it does not cover causes of the accident nor does it make final safety recommendations. We will review the report carefully.
Emirates is also conducting its own rigorous internal investigation to proactively review what we know about the accident, and consider measures that may enhance our operations or procedures.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the investigating authorities for their continued commitment to the investigation of this accident. Emirates will continue to extend our full co-operation as they work towards the Final Report.”