Shifting cargo likely damaged National 747's systems: NTSB

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It was as everyone had suspected. The tragic National Airlines Cargo crash in Bagram in April 2013 was likely due to a military vehicle on the aircraft, which broke free on take off, puncturing the aft pressure bulkhead and damaging control systems. The US National Transportation Safety Board has yet to issue its final report, but has made some documents about the crash public, as has Boeing. The 747-400F was carrying five armoured military vehicles from Camp Bastion via Bagram to Dubai. Shortly before take-off at Bagram the pilots had discussed that one of the straps holding a vehicle in place had broken, and it had moved “a couple of inches” mid-flight. Some of the victims’ families have engaged a law firm to file wrongful death lawsuits, claiming that the fault lies with Boeing and Telair International, maker of the cargo handling system.