Birgenair Flight 301
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 TC-GEN parked at Berlin-Schönefeld International Airport in July 1995
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| Summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | February 6, 1996 |
| Type | Speed sensor defective, leading to autopilot and pilot errors |
| Site | 26 km (14 nm) NE off Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic |
| Passengers | 176 |
| Crew | 13 |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Fatalities | 189 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 757-225 |
| Operator | Birgenair (Alas Nacionales) |
| Tail number | TC-GEN |
Birgenair Flight 301 was a Puerto Plata-Gander-Berlin-Frankfurt flight chartered by Turkish-managed Birgenair partner Alas Nacionales ("National Wings"). On February 6, 1996 the Boeing 757-225 operating the route crashed shortly after take-off from Puerto Plata's Gregorio Luperón International Airport.[1][2]
On February 6, 1996, at 11:42 p.m., the Boeing 757 captain, at 80 knots (150 km/h) on takeoff, found that his air speed indicator (ASI) was not working properly, although the co-pilot's ASI was functioning. While the plane was climbing to 4,700 feet (1,400 m), the captain's ASI indicated 350 knots, which triggered an autopilot reaction, increasing the pitch-up attitude and reducing power to lower the plane's airspeed. Investigations showed that the plane was actually travelling at 220 knots. Both pilots became confused when the co-pilot's ASI read 200 knots (decreasing) while getting rudder ratio and Mach airspeed advisory warnings and a stick-shaker warning. Both pilots believed both ASIs were malfunctioning. The autopilot, which received the captain's faulty ASI readings, was disconnected by the pilots, and they gave full thrust. At 11:47 p.m., the Ground Proximity Warning System gave an aural warning, and eight seconds later the plane crashed into the Caribbean Sea. All 13 crew members and 176 passengers died.
The Dominican Navy, the United States Coast Guard, and private Dominican boats scoured the waters. Coast Guard officers found coffee cans compressed into pieces of tin by the impact forces.[2]
Investigators never found the pitot-static tubes of the crashed aircraft; entomologists suspected that mud dauber wasps had built nests in the pitot-static tubes, blocking them; since the aircraft used had not flown in 25 days the wasps had an opportunity to build nests in the tubes.[3]
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[edit] Passengers
The crew consisted of 11 Turks and 2 Dominicans. The passengers consisted mainly of Germans, along with a few Poles.[2]
Most passengers had booked Caribbean package holidays with Öger Tours; Birgenair held 10% of Öger Tours.[4]
[edit] Aftermath
Later the same year, Aeroperú Flight 603 suffered from a similar situation and crashed in the ocean off Peru.
[edit] Investigation and final report
The Dominican Republic government's Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil (DGAC) investigated the accident and determined the following probable cause for the accident:
"The crew's failure to recognize the activation of the stick shaker as a warning of imminent entrance to the stall, and the failure of the crew to execute the procedures for recovery from the onset of loss of control."
The investigation discovered that a pitot tube was blocked, but were unable to determine what was blocking it. However, investigators suspected that some kind of insect could have created a nest inside the pitot tube. One specific species called the mud dauber wasp is well-known by pilots flying in the Dominican Republic, so it is the primary suspect.[citation needed]
[edit] See also
- Lists of accidents and incidents on commercial airliners
- Pitot-static system
- Aeroperú Flight 603
- Mayday (Air Crash Investigation, Air Emergency)
[edit] References
- ^ "Crash plane may not have been serviced," The Independent
- ^ a b c "Rescuers call off search in plane crash," CNN
- ^ "The Plane That Wouldn't Talk." Mayday.
- ^ "Bonn grounds 757 as crash mystery grows." The Independent.
- ASN Aircraft accident description Boeing 757-225 TC-GEN - Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on July 21, 2006.
[edit] External links
- http://www.airdisaster.com/cgi-bin/view_details.cgi?date=02061996®=TC-GEN&airline=Birgenair
- Views of the memorial revealing names of victims
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