Lufthansa Cargo Flight 527

Last updated
Lufthansa Cargo Flight 527
Boeing 707-330C D-ABUY (Lufthansa Cargo) at FRA.jpg
D-ABUY, the aircraft involved in the accident seen in September 1978
Accident
Date26 July 1979 (1979-07-26)
Summary Controlled flight into terrain due to ATC error and pilot error
Site25 kilometres (16 mi; 13 nmi) north of Rio de Janeiro/Galeão International Airport, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
22°34′58″S43°12′57″W / 22.58278°S 43.21583°W / -22.58278; -43.21583
Aircraft
Aircraft type Boeing 707-330C
Operator Lufthansa Cargo
Registration D-ABUY
Flight origin Rio de Janeiro/Galeão International Airport, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Destination Dakar-Yoff International Airport, Dakar, Senegal
Passengers0
Crew3
Fatalities3
Survivors0

Lufthansa Cargo Flight 527 was a Lufthansa Cargo flight scheduled to fly from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil to Dakar, the capital of Senegal. On 26 July 1979, shortly after take-off in Rio, the Boeing 707 flew into a slope and crashed. All 3 crew members, consisting of the captain, the first officer, and a flight engineer died; there were no survivors. The principal cause of the crash was the failure of air traffic controllers to pay the necessary attention to each aircraft and ensure the necessary attention to rising terrain.

Contents

Accident

The aircraft was a cargo variant of the Boeing 707 (707-330C). Flight 527 departed Rio de Janeiro/Galeão International Airport at 21:27  UTC and was instructed by air traffic control (ATC) to climb to 2,000 feet (610 m) and to turn toward the Caxias VHF omnidirectional range (VOR). Approach control requested the pilot to increase their speed. The crew increased the aircraft's speed to 304 knots (563 km/h; 350 mph) [1] as instructed despite the maximum speed being 250 knots (460 km/h; 290 mph) when the altitude is less than 10,000 feet (3,000 m). After communicating his instructions, the controller monitoring Flight 527 turned to focus on other flights near Rio, and was unaware of Flight 527 overspeeding. [2]

By the time the controller resumed communications with Flight 527, he saw that the flight was further north than expected due to its greater speed. He then radioed the crew: "Lufthansa, turn right heading 140, just now, over. Lufthansa 527, turn right heading 140 and climb without restrictions." The crew responded: "Roger, leaving 2 thousand, LH 527, turning right heading 140."

Shortly after this transmission, the Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) activated and at 21:32 UTC the aircraft flew against a bunch of trees and crashed into a mountain, leaving a trail of debris 800 metres (2,600 ft) long. [2]

Investigation

The main cause was found to be the failure of Brazilian air traffic controllers to pay the necessary attention to each aircraft and thus both stagger the aircraft among themselves and ensure the necessary distances to rising terrain.

The improperly high speed of the Boeing 707 was both due to faulty instructions and monitoring by the controller, as well as the crew passively accepting the dangerous instructions. Normally, the release includes a departure route to a so-called clearance limit, up to which the aircraft is allowed to fly at most. Even when asked by the pilots, air traffic control gave only an unclear answer. In the clearance for LH527 this information was missing, so the crew continued to fly on the set course instead of asking air traffic control for new instructions. For almost all of the last two minutes, there was no communication between LH527 and air traffic control. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

Lufthansa Cargo AG is a German cargo airline and a wholly owned subsidiary of Lufthansa. It operates worldwide air freight and logistics services and is headquartered at Frankfurt Airport, the main hub of Lufthansa. Besides operating dedicated cargo planes, the company also has access to cargo capacities of 350 passenger aircraft of the Lufthansa Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rio de Janeiro/Galeão International Airport</span> Main airport serving Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Rio de Janeiro/Galeão–Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport, popularly known by its original name Galeão International Airport, is the main international airport serving Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TWA Flight 159</span> 1967 aviation accident

Trans World Airlines (TWA) Flight 159 was a regularly scheduled passenger flight from New York City to Los Angeles, California, with a stopover in Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, Kentucky, that crashed after an aborted takeoff from Cincinnati on November 6, 1967. The Boeing 707 attempted to abort takeoff when the copilot became concerned that the aircraft had collided with a disabled DC-9 on the runway. The aircraft overran the runway, struck an embankment and caught fire. One passenger died as a result of the accident.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garuda Indonesia Flight 152</span> Aviation accident in Sibolangit, Indonesia, killing 234

Garuda Indonesia Flight 152 (GA152/GIA152) was a scheduled domestic flight operated by Garuda Indonesia from Soekarno–Hatta International Airport, Tangerang, to Polonia International Airport, Medan, in Indonesia. On 26 September 1997, the aircraft flying the route crashed into mountainous woodlands near the village of Buah Nabar, Sibolangit, killing all 222 passengers and 12 crew members on board. It is the deadliest aviation disaster in Indonesia's history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Independent Air Flight 1851</span> 1989 plane crash on Pico Alto, the Azores

On 8 February 1989, Independent Air Flight 1851, a Boeing 707 on an American charter flight from Bergamo, Italy, to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, struck Pico Alto while on approach to Santa Maria Airport in the Azores for a scheduled stopover. The aircraft was destroyed, with the loss of all 144 people on board, resulting in the deadliest plane crash in Portugal's history. All of the passengers on board were Italian and all of the crew were Americans. The crash is also known as "The disaster of the Azores".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pan Am Flight 812</span> 1974 passenger plane crash in Denpasar, Indonesia

Pan Am Flight 812 (PA812), operated by a Pan Am Boeing 707-321B registered N446PA and named Clipper Climax, was a scheduled international flight from Hong Kong to Los Angeles, California, with intermediate stops at Denpasar, Sydney, Nadi, and Honolulu. The airplane briefly appeared in the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory movie in 1971. On April 22, 1974, it crashed into rough mountainous terrain while preparing for a runway 09 approach to Denpasar after a 4-hour 20-minute flight from Hong Kong. All 107 people on board perished. The location of the accident was about 42.5 nautical miles northwest of Ngurah Rai International Airport. Until the 1991 Jakarta Indonesian Air Force C-130 crash, it was the deadliest aviation accident to happen on Indonesian soil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Varig Flight 797</span> 1987 aviation accident

Varig Flight 797 was a flight from Abidjan, Ivory Coast to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. On 3 January 1987, the Boeing 707-320C crashed while landing, killing all 12 crew members and 38 of the 39 passengers. After an engine failure, the pilot decided to return but misjudged the approach and stalled the aircraft. It crashed onto a rubber plantation in the midst of the jungle, 18 kilometres from the airport at a speed of 400 kilometres per hour. Many passengers who survived the initial crash died in the fire that followed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Al Flight 1862</span> 1992 plane crash in the Netherlands

On 4 October 1992, El Al Flight 1862, a Boeing 747 cargo aircraft of the Israeli airline El Al, crashed into the Groeneveen and Klein-Kruitberg flats in the Bijlmermeer neighbourhood of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The accident is known in Dutch as the Bijlmerramp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galeão Air Force Base</span> Air base of the Brazilian Air Force

Galeão Air Force Base – ALA11 is a base of the Brazilian Air Force located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is named after nearby Praia do Galeão, where in 1663 the galleon Padre Eterno was built.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sudan Airways Flight 2241</span> 2009 aviation accident in Sharjah, UAE

Sudan Airways Flight 2241 was a scheduled cargo flight from Sharjah, United Arab Emirates to Khartoum, Sudan operated by a Boeing 707-330C. On 21 October 2009, the cargo plane's No. 4 engine cowling separated during lift off, and in an attempt to turn the plane around, it stalled and crashed north of the airport. All six occupants were killed.

VARIG was the first airline founded in Brazil, in 1927. From 1965 until 1990, it was Brazil's leading airline and virtually its only international one. In 2005, Varig went into judicial restructuring, and in 2006 it was split into two companies – Flex Linhas Aéreas, informally known as "old" Varig, heir to the original airline – now defunct, and "new" Varig, a new company, fully integrated into Gol Airlines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Varig Flight 967</span> 1979 disappearance of a cargo flight leaving Tokyo for Rio de Janeiro

Varig Flight 967 was an international cargo flight from Narita International Airport in Japan to Rio de Janeiro–Galeão International Airport in Brazil, with a stopover at Los Angeles International Airport in the United States. On 30 January 1979, the Boeing 707-323C serving the flight disappeared while en route. Neither the aircraft nor its six crew members have ever been found.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lufthansa Flight 502</span> Aviation accident in 1959

Lufthansa Flight 502 was a scheduled flight from Hamburg, Germany to Buenos Aires, Argentina on 11 January 1959. The flight was being operated by a Lockheed L-1049G Super Constellation. On the leg between Senegal and Brazil the Super Constellation was on approach to Rio de Janeiro–Galeão International Airport when it crashed near Flecheiras Beach just short of the runway. All 29 passengers and seven of the ten crew were killed. It was the first fatal accident involving the current Lufthansa since it was formed in 1955.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ADC Airlines Flight 086</span> 1996 plane crash in Lagos, Nigeria

ADC Airlines Flight 086 (ADK086) was a Nigerian domestic flight operated by ADC Airlines from Port Harcourt to Lagos. On the afternoon of 7 November 1996, the crew of the Boeing 727-200 operating the flight lost control of the aircraft while avoiding a mid-air collision on approach; the aircraft crashed inverted at a very high speed into a lagoon, killing all 144 passengers and crew on board. The crash remains as the fourth worst plane crash in Nigerian history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Varig Flight 810</span> 1962 aviation accident

Varig Flight 810 was a scheduled international passenger flight from Rio de Janeiro to Los Angeles with stopovers in Lima, Bogotá, Panama City, and Mexico City. On 27 November 1962, the Boeing 707-441 operating the route crashed into a mountain on approach to Lima, killing all 97 passengers and crew. At the time it was the deadliest aviation accident in Peru until being surpassed by LANSA Flight 502 in 1971 and later Faucett Perú Flight 251 in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Imperial Iranian Air Force Flight 48</span> 1976 military aviation accident

Imperial Iranian Air Force Flight 48 was a military cargo flight from Tehran, Iran, to McGuire Air Force Base in the United States with a stopover in Madrid, Spain. On May 9, 1976, the Boeing 747-131 freighter operating the flight crashed during its approach to Madrid, killing all 17 people on board.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trans-Air Service Flight 671</span> 1992 aviation accident in France

Trans-Air Service Flight 671 was a cargo flight from Luxembourg Airport to Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano, Nigeria. While flying over France on March 31, 1992, the Boeing 707 operating the flight experienced an in-flight separation of two engines on its right wing. Despite the damage to the aircraft, the pilots were able to perform an emergency landing at Istres-Le Tubé Air Base in Istres, France. All five occupants of the aircraft survived; the aircraft was damaged beyond repair due to a fire on the right wing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hinduja Cargo Services Flight 8533</span> 1999 aviation accident

Hinduja Cargo Services Flight 8533 was a scheduled cargo flight from Tribhuvan International Airport in Nepal to Indira Gandhi International Airport in India operated by Lufthansa Cargo's Indian subsidiary Hinduja Cargo Services. On 7 July 1999, the Boeing 727 operating the flight crashed into Champadevi Hills at 2,200 metres (7,200 ft) altitude with no survivors amongst the 5 occupants on board.

References

  1. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 707-330C D-ABUY Rio de Janeiro-Galeão International Airport, RJ (GIG)". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network . Retrieved 2020-10-30.
  2. 1 2 3 "ICAO Circular 173-AN/109" (PDF). International Civil Aviation Organization. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-28. Retrieved 2014-06-20.