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Investigation Report: Crew Errors Led to Air Serbia Plane Crash in Belgrade
2025-08-23 13:28:38 / BOTA
The Road Accident Investigation Center has published the Interim Report on the air accident of an Embraer 195 aircraft of the Greek company Marathon Airlines, operating for Air Serbia on flight JU324 Belgrade-Düsseldorf, on February 18, 2024.
The document confirms suspicions that a series of erroneous decisions by the crew led to the collision of the aircraft's tail with the grass surface and then with an antenna outside the runway of Nikola Tesla Airport.
There were 106 passengers and 5 crew members on board, who were safely evacuated without injury, but the aircraft suffered severe damage to the fuselage, left wing, horizontal stabilizer and air conditioning system.
Approach lights, a five-meter-long antenna, and other airport equipment were also destroyed.
Due to the fuel leak, firefighters immediately responded using protective foam and cooling equipment to avoid the risk of explosion.
The report states that the crew mistakenly decided to take off from junction D5, where the runway was only 1,273 meters long, less than the minimum of 1,432 meters required for safe takeoff.
Moreover, when calculating the takeoff parameters, the pilot entered incorrect data, artificially reducing the weight of the aircraft.
Air traffic control warned the pilots about the lack of runway length, but had no legal right to stop them, as the final decision rests with the captain.
The investigation also revealed an authoritarian behavior by the captain, who pressured the first officer to depart from D5. The latter did not verify the performance on his computer, accepting the commander's decision.
During takeoff, the engines were not set to maximum power (TOGA), but to a lower mode, limiting thrust.
After the tail hit the ground and the antenna was hit, the plane was forced to turn around and made an emergency landing an hour later in Belgrade.
The final report will further analyze the role of safety culture, crew training, and company operating procedures.
So far, although there were no casualties, the event has been described as a serious accident that was avoided without human consequences, but with considerable material damage.
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