- Dan-Air Flight 1008
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Dan-Air Flight 1008 Accident summary Date 25 April 1980 Type Controlled flight into terrain Site On approach to Tenerife North Airport, Canary Islands Coordinates: 28°23′53″N 16°25′05″W / 28.39806°N 16.41806°W Passengers 138 Crew 8 Injuries 0 Fatalities 146 (all) Survivors 0 Aircraft type Boeing 727-46 Operator Dan-Air Tail number G-BDAN Dan-Air Flight 1008 was a Boeing 727-46 (registration G-BDAN) that crashed on the 25 April 1980 while on approach to Tenerife North Airport, Canary Islands, Spain, at the end of a charter flight from Manchester.[1] The aircraft flew into high terrain when it turned the wrong way in a holding pattern. The aircraft was destroyed and all 146 occupants killed.[2] Dan-Air Flight 1008 marked the greatest loss of life in an accident to a British-registered aircraft.
Contents
Accident
Flight 1008 was a charter flight from Manchester Airport, United Kingdom to Tenerife North Airport. The flight was 14 nautical miles (26 km) from VOR/DME beacon 'TFN' when it was cleared onward to radio beacon 'FP' for an approach to Runway 12 after it had reached 'TFN'. Initially at Flight Level 110, Dan-Air 1008 was then cleared to descend to Flight Level 60. The crew reported overhead 'TFN' and was requested to join a non-standard holding pattern over the 'FP' beacon. This holding pattern was not a published procedure and the crew did not have a chart for it, but the instruction was accepted. The aircraft did not pass over 'FP' but flew to the South of the beacon and called entering the hold. About a minute later they were cleared to descend to 8,000 feet (2,400 m).
Although the commander had said he was entering the hold according to the Spanish air traffic controllers' instructions, he turned the aircraft to the left towards the southeast into an area of high ground - the minimum safe altitude was 14,500 feet (4,400 m). The aircraft descended towards 5,000 feet (1,500 m) and the Ground Proximity Warning System operated, the crew reacted quickly and initiated a climb. With the engines on full power the aircraft entered a steep turn to the right and struck the mountain. The aircraft was flying in clouds when it struck the mountain.[1] The aircraft disintegrated with the debris spread over a wide area and the 146 on board died instantly.[1]
Investigation
The official investigation concluded that the cause of the accident was that the aircraft commander, without taking account of the altitude at which he was flying, took the aircraft into an area of high terrain and thereby failed to maintain a safe height above the terrain. However, a British addendum to the report further concludes that tardy and ambiguous directions from air traffic control regarding the unpublished hold directly contributed to the disorientation of the aircraft commander.[1] The addendum also finds that the unpublished track onto which the aircraft was directed incorporated tight turns that were practically unflyable, making entry into the region of high ground inevitable for an aircraft flying this track, even without the navigational errors made by Dan-Air 1008.[1] Further, the addendum finds that the directed altitude of 5,000 feet (1,500 m) was inadequate for this holding pattern, and that had a minimum safe altitude calculation been performed ahead of time by a competent authority, the minimum altitude for entry into the holding pattern would have been 8,000 feet (2,400 m), and the minimum altitude for the pattern itself 7,000 feet (2,100 m). The addendum concludes that had the aircraft not been cleared below 7,000 feet (2,100 m), the accident would not have occurred.[1]
Aircraft
The aircraft was a 1966 built Boeing 727-46 with line number 288 and registered G-BDAN.
Notes
References
- UK CAA Document CAA 429 World Airline Accident Summary
- Final Report - Spanish Civil Aviation Accident Commission
- English translation hosted by the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch: Report No.8/1981 Report on the accident to Boeing 727, G-BDAN on Tenerife, Canary Islands, 25 April 1980 (Archive)
- Appendices of English version (Archive)
- Original Spanish version available on request from the Civil Aviation Accident and Incident Investigation Commission
External links
Apr 25 Dan-Air Flight 1008
Apr 27 Thai Airways Flight 231
May 05 Eastern Air Lines Flight 855
Jun 27 Aerolinee Itavia Flight 870Aug 19 Saudia Flight 163
Sep 12 Florida Commuter Airlines crash
Nov 21 Continental Micronesia Flight 614
Dec 22 Saudia Flight 162Incidents resulting in at least 50 deaths shown in italics. Deadliest incident shown in bold smallcaps. Categories:- Aviation accidents and incidents in 1980
- Accidents and incidents involving controlled flight into terrain
- Aviation accidents and incidents in Spain
- Accidents and incidents involving the Boeing 727
- 1980 in Spain
- Tenerife
- History of the Canary Islands
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