Sterling Airways Flight 296

Last updated

Sterling Airways Flight 296
Sud SE-210 Caravelle 10B3 Super B, Sterling Airways AN0230108.jpg
A Sterling Airways Caravelle 10B3 similar to the accident aircraft
Occurrence
Date14 March 1972
Summary Controlled flight into terrain, pilot error
Site Al Hail, Fujairah, United Arab Emirates
Aircraft
Aircraft type Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle 10B3
Operator Sterling Airways
Registration OY-STL
Flight origin Colombo International Airport, Colombo, Ceylon
1st stopover Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Bombay, India
2nd stopover Dubai Airport, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Last stopover Esenboğa International Airport, Ankara, Turkey
Destination Copenhagen Airport, Copenhagen, Denmark
Occupants112
Passengers106
Crew6
Fatalities112
Survivors0

On 14 March 1972, Sterling Airways Flight 296 crashed into a mountain ridge on approach to Dubai in Al Hail, Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. Flight 296 was a charter flight from Colombo to Copenhagen with stops in Bombay, Dubai, and Ankara. All 112 passengers and crew on board died in the crash which was attributed to pilot error. The flight was operated by a Sud Aviation Caravelle, registration OY-STL. [1] To date, it is the deadliest air disaster to involve a Caravelle and the deadliest air disaster in the history of the United Arab Emirates along with Gulf Air Flight 771 which also killed 112. [2]

Contents

Aircraft

The aircraft involved was Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle 10B3 (serial number 267) that was built in May 1970 and had its maiden flight on 10 May the same year. The aircraft was delivered to Sterling Airways on May 19 and subsequently received its airworthiness certificate and registration OY-STL on 22 May. OY-STL was in a long-haul flight configuration being equipped with central fuel tanks. The aircraft was powered by two Pratt & Whitney JT8D-9 engines. The passenger capacity of the cabin was 109 seats, though the maximum number of people on board was 116. The aircraft had 6,674 hours and 50 minutes flight time and 2,373 landings at the time of the accident. The last Y-l check (every 12–15 months) was performed by Finnair (under a contract) on 5 June 1971. The aircraft's last overhaul was performed on 8 February 1972, when the aircraft had 6,270 hours 39 minutes of flying time. The last A and B technical inspections were performed one day before the accident flight on 13 March 1972, before departure from Copenhagen. The last B-check was performed in Bombay the same day. [3] :9 [4]

Flight

Sterling Airways Flight 296 was chartered by the tour company Tjaereborg Rejser to take 106 Europeans home from vacations in Ceylon (present day Sri Lanka). The flight from Colombo to Copenhagen was scheduled to make refuelling stops in Bombay, Dubai, and Ankara. A change of crew was also scheduled during the stop in Ankara. Flight 296 departed from Colombo on time at 17:20 local time for Bombay.

The 106 passengers were from Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and West Germany. The Danish cockpit crew consisted of Captain Ole Jorgensen, 35 and First Officer Jorgen Pedersen, 30.

At 19:45, it landed in Bombay. The passengers were not allowed to de-plane during the stop in Bombay. After refuelling Flight 296 departed Bombay for the next stop in Dubai at 21:20. [3] :2

According to the flight plan, Flight 296 from Bombay to Dubai was to follow the R19 air corridor at flight level 310 (31,000 feet (9,400 m; 9.4 km). The length of the route was 1,045 nautical miles (1,935 km; 1,203 mi) the majority of it passing over the Arabian Sea, while the route had 5 waypoints for reports on position: SALMON, SEAHORSE, BLUE WHALE, DOLPHIN and SPEARFISH, located 292, 531, 706 and 854 miles (185, 541, 983, 1308 and 1582 km) respectively, from Bombay. [3] :2

At 21:40, the crew of Flight 296 informed the Bombay approach controller that they were passing the SALMON waypoint and that they were climbing from flight level 250 (7.62 km), to 310. At 21:49 the controller reported the flight reaching FL 310. At 21:14 the crew reported passing the SEAHORSE waypoint. At 21:52, the Bombay controller instructed the crew to change frequencies. Beginning at 21:47 the controllers experienced communication problems with Flight 296, but managed to re-establish communication at 22:04. Flight 296 passed the BLUE WHALE waypoint at 22:49 which was 3 to 6 minutes earlier than expected. [3] :2

Flight 296 reported passing the DOLPHIN point at 22:14 via a relay — a minute earlier than planned at Blue Whale, and already 10 minutes earlier than planned when departing from Bombay. At 21:25 pm, the crew contacted the tower of the Dubai Airport and received information about the weather in Dubai. At 21:42 at a frequency of 124.9 MHz, flight 296 contacted the control center in Dubai and reported on the passage of the SPEARFISH waypoint at 21:42 at flight level 310, and the estimated landing time in Dubai is 22:10. At the same time, Flight 296 was instructed to go under the control of the Dubai-approach. The crew received information that the bearing on them from the D0 radio beacon (Dubai VOR) is 084, and the descent from FL 310 would begin at 21:55. However at 21:49, 95 miles (153 km) from the airport, the crew requested to descend early. The approach controller cleared Flight 296 to descend to FL 40 (4000 feet or 1219 meters). Then the control center asked the crew if they wanted a heading of 084, to which the crew accepted. The controller then gave instructions regarding the heading. Shortly before 22:00 local time, Flight 296 began the approach into Dubai. [3] :2–3

Accident

The weather in Dubai was cloudy with scattered thunderstorms. [3] :10–11 The crews of other aircraft reported an overcast sky with the formation of large cumulus clouds over the coast. The crew of BOAC Flight 833 (also flying to Dubai, though departing from Calcutta) indicated that the coast was poorly visible on meteorological radar due to thunderstorms, although the crew of SABENA Flight 352 (which also departed Bombay but was bound for Athens), on the contrary, reported a clear sky. [3] :13

At 21:50, the crew of Flight 296 reported descending from 310 to 40 and asked which runway to take. The controller responded that the wind was at 045/6 knots and that the landing could be carried out on either runway 30 or 12. The crew selected runway 30. At 21:56, The crew reported leaving flight level 135 and the controller instructed the flight to maintain 2,000 feet (610 m) relative to the level of Dubai Airport (1016 hPa) with a report on occupying a height of 2000 and observing the airfield. The crew acknowledged the transmission. [3] :13

For better communication, the crew switched to the backup radio, but since it was quiet, the radio communications on the cockpit voice recorder were in poor condition or unusable. At 22:01, Flight 296 contacted the controller, but this was not recorded on the CVR. According to the controller's testimony, when the crew asked how the airport’s driving station worked, the controller replied, "it functions normally." The dispatcher also warned: "the ADF radio station antenna was reduced in length due to the runway extension, and 'DO' is not giving much power. Use the VOR at 115.7 [MHz] or the ILS localizer at 110.1 [MHz]." [3] :3

Just after this transmission, the crew transmitted another message. At 22:02:04 the controller made the following response: "296, Dubai,you are fading away say again please." And at 22:02:12 said, "296, Dubai, QNH Dubai 1016.5." Transmissions from flight 296 were not recorded by the CVR. At 22:03:15, the controller transmitted: "296, Dubai, next report field in sight", but the controller believed Flight 296 did not hear his message. At 22:04, the crew radioed that the VOR was not properly working, to which the controller transmitted at 18:03:42: "296, Dubai, if the VOR indication are not reliable, select ILS on and tune [at a] frequency of 110.1. The QDM is 300°, this will align you with the runway." [3] :3–4

Travelling at a speed of 95 knots (109 mph; 176 km/h), at a heading of 285° the aircraft descended at a vertical speed of about 800 feet (240 m) per minute and had already descended to 1,400 feet (430 m) when the crew saw the mountains right on the course. Engine power was increased, and the aircraft began to climb with a vertical speed of 600 feet (180 m)700 feet (210 m) feet per minute (3–3.6 m / s). 10 later seconds at 22:04 pm local time, the aircraft, at an altitude of 1,600 feet (490 m), 50 miles from Dubai airport and 10 miles north of the continuation of the longitudinal axis of runway 30 at a speed of 190 knots (220 mph; 350 km/h), the aircraft's left wing hit a mountain ridge. In the impact the left wing broke off. The plane continued another 869 feet (265 m) meters before impacting below the top of the next ridge. The wreckage slid down the slope and ended up in five different valleys. [3] :19–21

Local residents stated that it was raining at the time. [3] :3–4 Several residents of Kalba were digging a ditch around a hut to divert rainwater, when at 22:00 local time an aircraft flew over the city at a low altitude. One of the residents stated that the aircraft flew so low that its navigation lights were clearly visible. An explosion was seen shortly after. The residents got into a Land Rover vehicle and tried to get to the crash site, but the vehicle was stuck in the mud. The residents of the nearby Al-Heilruen settlement heard the explosion but thought that it was thunder. [3] :4

At 22:10, dispatchers in Dubai informed Bahrain about the loss of communication with Flight 296. All attempts to contact the plane were unsuccessful, and an emergency was declared at 22:40 and a search began. The next morning, the wreckage of the aircraft was discovered in the mountains of Sharjah, 50 miles (80 km) from Dubai Airport and 12 miles (19 km) west of Kalba at 25°04′06″N56°13′48″E / 25.06833°N 56.23000°E / 25.06833; 56.23000 There were no survivors among the 106 passengers and 6 crew members. [2] [3] :4

Cause

The investigation found that the pilots descended below the minimum prescribed altitude. This was due to incorrect information on the outdated flight plan and/or due to a misreading of the weather radar which led the pilots to believe they were closer to Dubai than they actually were. [3] :63

Nationalities of the passengers and crew

NationalityPassengersCrewTotal
Denmark68674
Sweden20-20
Norway12-12
Finland4-4
West Germany2-2
Total1066112

Sources: [5] [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sterling Airlines</span> Defunct Danish low-cost airline

Sterling Airlines A/S was a low-cost airline with its head office at Copenhagen Airport South in Dragør, Dragør Municipality, Denmark. It was created in September 2005 through the merger of two Danish airlines — Sterling European Airlines and Maersk Air — which had been acquired by the Icelandic investment group Fons Eignarhaldsfélag a few months before for MDKK 500. Fons was owned by Icelandic business tycoon Palmi Haraldsson. One month after the merger, Sterling Airlines was sold to the FL Group for an amount of MDKK 1500. In December 2006, Sterling was sold again, this time to Nordic Travel Holding. On 6 January 2006, Hannes Þór Smárason, CEO of the FL Group, stated that a merger of EasyJet and Sterling was a possibility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sud Aviation Caravelle</span> French twin-jet narrow-body airliner produced 1958–1972

The Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle is a French jet airliner produced by Sud Aviation. It was developed by SNCASE in the early 1950s, and made its maiden flight on May 27, 1955. It included some de Havilland designs and components developed for the de Havilland Comet. SNCASE merged into the larger Sud Aviation conglomerate before the aircraft entered revenue service on April 26, 1959, with Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS); 282 were built until production ended in 1972. It was ordered by airlines on every continent and operated until its retirement in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian Airlines</span> Division of Air India Limited

Indian Airlines was a state-owned airline in India that later became a division of Air India Limited before ultimately ceasing operations. It was based in Delhi and focused primarily on domestic routes, along with several international services to neighbouring countries in Asia and limited flights to the Middle East and South-East Asia. It was a division of Air India Limited after the merger of eight pre-Independence domestic airlines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crossair Flight 3597</span> 2001 aviation accident in Switzerland

Crossair Flight 3597 was a scheduled flight from Berlin Tegel Airport, Germany, to Zürich Airport, Switzerland. On 24 November 2001, the Crossair Avro RJ100 operating the route, registered as HB-IXM, crashed into a wooded range of hills near Bassersdorf and caught fire. Out of the 33 occupants, nine made it out alive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1976 Zagreb mid-air collision</span> Fatal collision of passenger flights over Yugoslavia (now Croatia)

The 1976 Zagreb mid-air collision took place on 10 September 1976, when British Airways Flight 476, a Hawker Siddeley Trident en route from London to Istanbul, collided mid-air with Inex-Adria Aviopromet Flight 550, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9 en route from Split, SFR Yugoslavia, to Cologne, West Germany, near Zagreb in modern-day Croatia. The collision was the result of a procedural error on the part of air traffic controllers in Zagreb.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piedmont Airlines Flight 22</span> 1967 mid-air collision

Piedmont Airlines Flight 22 was a Piedmont Airlines Boeing 727-22 that collided with a twin-engine Cessna 310 on July 19, 1967, over Hendersonville, North Carolina, United States. Both aircraft were destroyed and all passengers and crew were killed, including John T. McNaughton, an advisor to U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. The aircraft were both operating under instrument flight rules and were in radio contact with the Asheville control tower, though on different frequencies. The accident investigation was the first of a major scale conducted by the newly created National Transportation Safety Board. A review of the investigation conducted 39 years after the crash upheld the original findings that had placed primary responsibility on the Cessna pilot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thai Airways International Flight 311</span> 1992 aviation accident in Kathmandu

Thai Airways International Flight 311 (TG311/THA311) was a flight from Bangkok, Thailand's Don Mueang International Airport to Kathmandu, Nepal's Tribhuvan International Airport. On Friday, 31 July 1992, an Airbus A310-304 on the route, registration HS-TID, crashed on approach to Kathmandu. At 07:00:26 UTC, the aircraft crashed into the side of a mountain 37 kilometres (23 mi) north of Kathmandu at an altitude of 11,500 ft (3,505 m) and a ground speed of 300 knots, killing all 113 passengers and crew members on board. This was both the first hull loss and the first fatal accident involving the Airbus A310.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thai Airways International Flight 261</span> Fatal airliner crash in 1998

Thai Airways International Flight 261 (TG261/THA261) was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Bangkok's Don Mueang International Airport to Surat Thani International Airport in Surat Thani, Thailand. The flight was operated by Thai Airways International, the flag carrier of Thailand. On 11 December 1998, the aircraft, an Airbus A310-204 registered in Thailand as HS-TIA, stalled and crashed into a swamp during its landing attempt at Surat Thani Airport. A total of 101 people were killed in the crash.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inex-Adria Aviopromet Flight 1308</span> 1981 aviation accident

Inex-Adria Aviopromet Flight 1308 was a McDonnell Douglas MD-81 aircraft operating a Yugoslavian charter flight to the French island of Corsica. On 1 December 1981, the flight crashed on Corsica's Mont San-Pietro, killing all 180 people on board. The crash was the deadliest and first major aviation accident involving a McDonnell Douglas MD-80.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian Airlines Flight 257</span> 1991 Aircraft crash

Indian Airlines Flight 257 was an Indian Airlines domestic passenger flight operating on the Calcutta–Imphal–Dimapur route. On 16 August 1991, the Boeing 737-2A8 registered VT-EFL crashed into the hilly terrain of Thangjing Hill during its descent, killing all 63 passengers and 6 crew members on board.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alaska Airlines Flight 1866</span> 1971 fatal jet airliner crash

Alaska Airlines Flight 1866 was a regularly scheduled passenger flight operated by Alaska Airlines from Anchorage, Alaska, to Seattle, Washington, with several intermediate stops in southeast Alaska. The aircraft was a Boeing 727-100 with U.S. registry N2969G manufactured in 1966. On September 4, 1971, the aircraft operating the flight crashed into a mountain in Haines Borough, about 18 miles west of Juneau, Alaska, while on approach for landing. All 111 people aboard were killed. The subsequent investigation found that erroneous navigation readouts led the crew to descend prematurely. No definitive cause for the misleading data was found. It was the first fatal jet aircraft crash involving Alaska Airlines, and remained the deadliest single-aircraft accident in United States history until June 24, 1975, when Eastern Air Lines Flight 66 crashed. It is still, however, the worst air disaster in Alaska state history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1994 St. Louis Airport collision</span> 1994 runway collision in Missouri, United States

The 1994 St. Louis Airport collision occurred when TWA Flight 427, operated using a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, struck a Cessna 441 Conquest II during its take-off roll, killing both of its occupants. The incident took place on November 22, 1994, at St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) in Bridgeton, Missouri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1979 Dniprodzerzhynsk mid-air collision</span> Fatal aviation accident in Ukraine

On 11 August 1979, a mid-air collision occurred over the Ukrainian SSR, near the city of Dniprodzerzhynsk. The aircraft involved were both Tupolev Tu-134As on scheduled domestic passenger flights, operated by Aeroflot. All 178 people aboard both aircraft died in the accident. The Soviet aviation board investigating the accident concluded that the crash was caused by "mistakes and violations" made by air traffic controllers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aerosvit Flight 241</span> 1997 aviation accident

Aerosvit Flight 241 (VV241/EW241) was a scheduled international passenger flight from the Ukrainian city of Odesa to Thessaloniki, Greece. On 17 December 1997, the Yakovlev Yak-42 operating the flight registered as UR-42334 flew into a mountainside during a missed approach into Thessaloniki in Greece. All 70 people aboard were killed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afriqiyah Airways Flight 771</span> 2010 passenger plane crash in Tripoli, Libya

Afriqiyah Airways Flight 771 was a scheduled international Afriqiyah Airways passenger flight that crashed on 12 May 2010 at about 06:01 local time on approach to Tripoli International Airport, about 1,200 metres short of the runway. Of the 104 passengers and crew on board, 103 were killed. The sole survivor was a 9-year-old Dutch boy. The crash of Flight 771 was the third hull-loss of an Airbus A330 involving fatalities, occurring eleven months after the crash of Air France Flight 447.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Arab Airlines Flight 869 (1963)</span> Flight that crashed in 1963

United Arab Airlines Flight 869 was an international scheduled passenger de Havilland Comet 4C flight from Tokyo, Japan, to Cairo via Hong Kong, Bangkok, Bombay and Bahrain. On 28 July 1963 it was being operated by a de Havilland Comet registered as SU-ALD, when on approach to Bombay's Santa Cruz Airport it crashed into the Arabian Sea off Bombay on 28 July 1963 with the loss of all 63 passengers and crew on board. Among the 55 passengers was the Philippine delegation of 24 Boy Scouts and adults traveling to the 11th World Scout Jamboree in Greece.

Dan-Air Flight 1903 was an unscheduled international passenger service from Manchester to Barcelona, operated by Dan Air Services Limited under contract with British tour operator Clarksons Holidays, which arranged for the flight to carry a group of holidaymakers who had booked an all-inclusive package holiday with the operator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1973 Royal Air Maroc Sud Aviation Caravelle crash</span> 1973 aviation accident

The 1973 Royal Air Maroc Sud Aviation Caravelle crash occurred on December 22, 1973 when a Sobelair Sud Aviation Caravelle SE-210 crashed near Tangier, Morocco. All 106 people on board were killed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sterling Airways Flight 901</span> 1974 plane crash and fire in Tehran, Iran

On 15 March 1974, Sterling Airways Flight 901, a Sud Aviation Caravelle operated by Sterling Airways, experienced a landing gear failure as it was taxiing for take-off. The right main landing gear collapsed, which caused the right wing to contact the runway, rupturing a fuel tank and igniting the spilt fuel. The fire killed 15 passengers and injured 37 passengers and crew. The aircraft had been chartered by tour company Tjæreborg to take tourists around Asia, and was on the way back to Copenhagen when the accident happened. The accident came only two years after the crash of Sterling Airways Flight 296.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aeroméxico Connect Flight 2431</span> Aircraft that crashed in Mexico, July 2018

Aeroméxico Connect Flight 2431 (SLI2431/5D2431) was a Mexican domestic scheduled passenger flight bound for Mexico City that crashed on takeoff from Durango International Airport on July 31, 2018. Shortly after becoming airborne, the plane encountered sudden wind shear caused by a microburst. The plane rapidly lost speed and altitude and impacted the runway, detaching the engines and skidding to a halt about 1,000 feet (300 m) beyond the runway. The plane caught fire and was destroyed. All 103 people on board survived, but 39 passengers and crew members were injured.

References

  1. "Photo of Caravelle OY-STL".
  2. 1 2 Ranter, Harro. "Accident description". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 "REPORT of the Investigation into the Accident involving Sterling Airway's Caravelle Aircraft OY-STL in the Emirate Fujayrah on the 14th March 1972" (PDF). Directorate of Civil Aviation. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  4. "Sterling Airways OY-STL – 14. March 1972". SudAviation.com. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  5. "112 persons feared killed in crash of Danish plane". The Telegraph. 15 March 1972. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  6. "Plane crash death count may reach 112". Archived from the original on 14 August 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2019.

25°04′27″N56°21′19″E / 25.07417°N 56.35528°E / 25.07417; 56.35528