Investigation Summary
The flight was originally scheduled to fly from Nairobi to Lagos and then to Abidjan, but due to poor visibility in Lagos, it diverted directly to Abidjan. On the return leg, the aircraft took off at night over the ocean. Seconds after liftoff, a false stall warning (stick shaker) activated. The First Officer, who was the pilot flying, responded by pushing the control column forward to reduce the angle of attack. However, the aircraft was not actually stalling. Because the stall warning was active, the GPWS—which would have alerted the crew to their proximity to the water—was automatically inhibited. The crew failed to monitor their vertical speed and altimeter, leading the aircraft to impact the water in a shallow descent.
Final Conclusions
The BEA investigation concluded that the primary cause was the crew's failure to apply the correct recovery procedure for a stall warning. The pilot's nose-down input was excessive and maintained for too long. Furthermore, the lack of GPWS alerts (due to system prioritization) and the absence of visual references over the dark ocean contributed to the crew's loss of situational awareness regarding their altitude.
Video Analysis
THE TRAGEDY OF KENYA AIRWAYS FLIGHT 431 — A detailed look at how a false stall warning led to the loss of an Airbus A310 just 34 seconds after takeoff, resulting in 169 fatalities.
Watch on YouTube ↗If playback is blocked, the owner has disabled embedding — use the link above.
Systems & Failure Modes
Stick Shaker
A mechanical device that vibrates the control yoke to warn pilots of an impending aerodynamic stall.
GPWS (Ground Proximity Warning System)
An onboard system designed to alert pilots if their aircraft is in immediate danger of flying into the ground or water.
FWC (Flight Warning Computer)
The system that prioritizes cockpit alerts; in this case, it prioritized the stall warning over the GPWS.
Interesting Facts
- 01The stall warning was determined to be false, likely caused by a transient sensor error.
- 02The GPWS was inhibited by the stall warning, preventing a 'Too Low Terrain' or 'Sink Rate' alert.
- 03Only 10 people survived the crash, many of whom were rescued by local fishermen.
- 04The flight was operating at night over a 'black hole' environment with no horizon visible.
- 05The aircraft was 14 years old and had over 58,000 flight hours at the time of the accident.
Safety Actions & Advisories
GPWS Prioritization Review
Aviation authorities reviewed the logic of inhibiting GPWS alerts during stall warnings to ensure pilots are warned of terrain even during stall recovery.
Stall Recovery Training
Enhanced training for pilots on recognizing false stall warnings and maintaining instrument cross-checks during emergency maneuvers.