De Havilland DHC-5 Buffalo

Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)

Operator:

Registration:

AF-319

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Lusaka – Brazzaville – Libreville – Abidjan – Dakar

MSN:

YOM:

1976

Location:

Libreville

Estuaire (Libreville)

Country:

Gabon

Region:

Africa

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The aircraft departed Lusaka on a charter flight to Dakar with intermediate stops in Brazzaville, Libreville and Abidjan, carrying all staff of the National Zambian Football Team who was flying to Dakar to play against Senegal for the World Cup 1994 in USA. One minute after a night takeoff from Libreville-Léon Mba Airport, while climbing, the left engine failed. In a certain confusion, the captain mistakenly shut down the right engine. The aircraft lost height and crashed in the sea about 500 metres offshore. The aircraft sank and all 30 occupants were killed. It was reported that the aircraft has not been operated between December 21, 1992 and April 21, 1993 and was eventually requisitioned by the Zambian Government to carry the National Football Team to Senegal. A maintenance control (check A & B) was conducted between April 22 and 26, the day prior to departure.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the left engine failed due to excessive carbon deposit. Also, oil filters were clogged and electrical cables showed sign of overheating. The engine failed during initial climb due to inadequate maintenance. It was also reported that the captain was tired at the time of the accident due to intense schedule the preceding days following a tour in Mauritius with an insufficient rest time. Poor crew coordination, fatigue and lack of concentration were considered as contributing factors.

Crash of a De Havilland DHC-5 Buffalo in Nairobi: 52 killed

Date & Time: Apr 16, 1992

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

KAF214

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Nairobi-Eastleigh (Moi Air Base)

Survivors:

Site:

City

Schedule:

Nairobi - Nanyuki

MSN:

123

YOM:

1986

Location:

Nairobi City District

Country:

Kenya

Region:

Africa

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Shortly after takeoff from runway 06 at Nairobi-Eastleigh Airport (Moi Air Base), while in initial climb, the left engine failed and its propeller autofeathered. The captain contacted ATC, declared an emergency and was cleared to turn left. Following a left hand circuit, the crew again turned to the left and prepared to land on runway 06 when the aircraft entered an area of low clouds. The crew momentarily lost visual contact with the runway when the aircraft stalled and crashed onto several houses located in the district of Kaloleni, less than 2 km short of runway 06 threshold. The aircraft and few houses were destroyed. All 46 occupants as well as 6 people on the ground were killed.

Probable cause:

The exact cause of the left engine failure could not be determined.

Crash of a De Havilland CC-115 Buffalo in Rio de Janeiro: 9 killed

Date & Time: Nov 12, 1990 at 0920 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

2350

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Rio de Janeiro – Campo de Marte – Anápolis – Brasília

MSN:

YOM:

1968

Location:

Rio de Janeiro-Galeão

Rio de Janeiro

Country:

Brazil

Region:

South America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Shortly after takeoff from runway 15, while in initial climb, the aircraft banked right and crashed about 300 meters from the apron, bursting into flames. A crew member was injured while nine other occupants were killed.

Crash of a De Havilland DHC-5D Buffalo in Calgary

Date & Time: Jul 17, 1990 at 1640 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

FAE064

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Ferry

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Quito – Billings – Calgary

MSN:

YOM:

1976

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

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Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The aircraft suffered an incident in Ecuador few days prior to this accident and damages were reported to the undercarriage. A ferry flight to Calgary was arranged so the aircraft could be repaired by technicians by De Havilland Canada. The flight from Quito to Calgary was completed with the undercarriage down. Upon touchdown on runway 28 at Calgary Airport, the nose gear collapsed. The airplane slid on its nose and came rest, bursting into flames. In a hurry, both pilots escaped the cabin and did not stop both engines. Hydraulic fluids ignited and the aircraft was totally destroyed by fire. Both pilots were uninjured. Dual registration FAE064 and HC-BFH.

Probable cause:

It was concluded that the self-centering mechanism could be forced off centre because of a system malfunction caused by the previous accident or by intentional nosewheel steering input, which would cause enough pressure to shear the pins. The internal damage to the controlcam mechanism allowed the wheels to be off centre at touchdown. Marks on the adjacent sides of the pulleys showed that the cable had been lodged in the space between the two pulleys. Although the extent of this damage was limited, it was representative of damage caused by the previous jungle accident and would have caused the sluggish response to nosewheel commands experienced earlier by the crew. When the weight of the aircraft settled on the misaligned nosewheel, the temporary ferry repairs failed in overload and the nosewheel collapsed.

Crash of a De Havilland DHC-5D Buffalo in Lusaka: 29 killed

Date & Time: Feb 17, 1990 at 1925 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

AF-316

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

M’Bala – Lusaka

MSN:

YOM:

1976

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

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Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

While approaching Lusaka, the twin engine airplane entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed in a field located 10 km from the airport. All 29 occupants were killed.

Crash of a De Havilland DHC-5D Buffalo near Tarma: 62 killed

Date & Time: Jun 21, 1989 at 1740 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

FAP329

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Pucallpa – San Ramón – Lima

MSN:

YOM:

1972

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The twin engine airplane departed San Ramón-Capitan Alvarino Airport at 1730LT on the second leg of the trip to Lima. On board were 57 passengers, a crew of five and a load of various goods including wood and animals. While climbing, the captain informed ATC about engine problems and that he was unable to maintain the assigned altitude. Ten minutes after takeoff, the aircraft struck the slope of a mountain located about 30 km northwest of Tarma and disintegrated on impact. All 62 occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

It was determined that there were 57 passengers on board while the aircraft was certified for 44 passengers max. It was also determined that the aircraft was unable to gain sufficient altitude because it was overloaded and the crew could not obtain full engine power as they were submitted to strong contribution.

Crash of a De Havilland DHC-5D Buffalo in Doctor Arroyo

Date & Time: May 18, 1989 at 1340 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

TP-200

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Doctor Arroyo – Francisco Sarabia

MSN:

YOM:

1980

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

After takeoff, while climbing to a height of 20 meters, the aircraft stalled and crashed. All 30 occupants were slightly injured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. It had the dual registration TP-200 and XC-UTO.

Crash of a De Havilland DHC-5D Buffalo in Gondar: 1 killed

Date & Time: Nov 8, 1988 at 1045 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

ET-AHI

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Cargo

Survivors:

Site: