Mayday (2003)

S13E8 Imperfect Pitch (XL Airways Germany Flight 888T)

On November 27, 2008, XL Airways Germany Flight 888T, conducting a post-maintenance test flight, tragically plunged into the Mediterranean Sea near the French coast, resulting in the deaths of all seven individuals aboard. Investigators found that inadequate maintenance procedures had permitted water to infiltrate the aircraft's angle of attack (AOA) sensors. When the water froze during the flight, it rendered the sensors inoperative. As the crew attempted to evaluate the stall warning system mid-flight, the aircraft ultimately entered a dangerous low-speed stall.