Rio de Janeiro-Galeão

Country:

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Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

7969

Captain / Total hours on type:

996.00

Copilot / Total flying hours:

3537

Copilot / Total hours on type:

2631

Circumstances:

Flight 527 was cleared for a No.16 departure by ground control and was instructed to make a right turn after takeoff, heading the Caxias VOR, climbing to and maintaining 2000 feet. The aircraft took off from runway 27 at 21:27. Approach control then asked the crew to increase their speed. The speed increased progressively to 304 knots, exceeding the 250 knots maximum speed inside the terminal control area below 10000 feet. While Flight 527 was flying towards mountainous terrain and increasing its speed (in the north sector of the radar scope), the controller was busy vectoring an excessive amount of traffic in the south sector. The assistant departure controller failed to monitor the traffic. When the controller turned his attention to LH527 again, he was surprised by the position of the aircraft and instructed 'LH, turn right heading 140, just now, over'. The controller repeated his instructions and instructed the crew to increase their rate of climb. At that time the GPWS sounded in the cockpit. The aircraft struck trees on the slope of a mountain in a nose-up, left wing down attitude and continued 800 m while breaking up.

Probable cause:

It is clear that there was a breakdown in teamwork of the personnel on duty in Rio approach control at that time. The departure controller, through incomplete instructions, caused LH527 to fly for a period of time on a heading and at an altitude that led the aircraft to collision. The assistant controller, the co-ordinator and the supervisor on duty did not support the departure controller as they should have done. A contributing factor was that the crew accepted the incomplete ATC instructions (no clearance limit or alternate procedure) and flew during 1 min 41s without bilateral communications and in potential danger inherent in these incomplete instructions.

Final Report:

Crash of a Boeing 737-2A1 in São Paulo

Date & Time: Apr 2, 1978 at 2120 LT

Type of aircraft:

Boeing 737-200

Operator:

Registration:

PP-SMX

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Rio de Janeiro - São Paulo

MSN:

20969

YOM:

1974

Flight number:

VP005

Location:

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Circumstances:

The airplane departed Rio de Janeiro-Galeão Airport at 2015LT on flight VP005 to São Paulo. Following an uneventful flight, the crew was unable to lower the undercarriage and decided to complete a belly landing. Upon touchdown, the airplane slid for few hundred meters before coming to rest in flames onto the runway. All 44 occupants were evacuated safely while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a BAc 111-520FN in Campinas

Date & Time: Jan 4, 1977 at 2230 LT

Type of aircraft:

BAc 111

Operator:

Registration:

PP-SDS

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Vitória – Rio de Janeiro – Campinas

MSN:

236

YOM:

1971

Flight number:

TR203

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Circumstances:

The approach to Campinas-Viracopos Airport was completed in heavy rain falls. After touchdown on runway 32, a tire burst. The airplane went out of control, veered off runway to the left and came to rest in a muddy ground about 360 metres further. All 43 occupants were evacuated safely while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Boeing 707-345C in Paris: 123 killed

Date & Time: Jul 11, 1973 at 1403 LT

Type of aircraft:

Boeing 707

Operator:

Registration:

PP-VJZ

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

São Paulo – Rio de Janeiro – Paris

MSN:

19841

YOM:

1968

Flight number:

RG820

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

117

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

123

Captain / Total flying hours:

17959

Captain / Total hours on type:

4642.00

Copilot / Total flying hours:

12613

Copilot / Total hours on type:

5055

Aircraft flight hours:

21470

Aircraft flight cycles:

5677

Circumstances:

The airplane departed Rio de Janeiro-Galeão Airport at 0303LT on flight RG820 to Paris-Orly Airport. The en route part of the flight was uneventful. At 13:57 the aircraft had descended to FL80 and contacted Orly approach, who told the crew to maintain FL80 and head to the OLS VOR which would take the aircraft to the downwind leg of runway 26. At 13:58:20 the flight crew contacted Orly approach and reported a "problem with fire on board". An emergency descent was requested. At 13:59 clearance was given to descend to 3000 feet for a runway 07 landing, making a straight-in approach possible. While the situation on board was getting worse (smoke entering the cockpit and passengers becoming asphyxiated), a clearance to descend to 2000 feet was given at 14:01:10. The flight crew put on oxygen masks as smoke was making it impossible to read the instruments. At 14:03 the pilot decided to make an emergency landing 5 km short of the runway with gear down and flaps at 80°. The Boeing approached with considerable nose-up attitude, in a slight left bank. The aircraft truncated some small trees and made a heavy landing on a field. Both main gears collapsed and the engines were torn off in the subsequent skid. The fuselage however, remained intact. Ten occupants (all crew members) evacuated the aircraft. By the time the firemen arrived (6-7 minutes later) the fire had burned through the roof and there was no sign of life. Of the four unconscious occupants the firemen could evacuate, only one survived.

Probable cause:

A fire which appears to have started in the washbasin unit of the aft right toilet. It was detected because smoke had entered the adjacent left toilet. The fire may have been started by an electrical fault or by the carelessness of a passenger. The difficulty in locating the fire made the actions of cabin personnel ineffective. The flight crew did not have the facilities to intervene usefully from the cockpit against the spread of the fire and the invasion of smoke. The lack of visibility in the cockpit prompted the crew to decided on a forced landing. At the time of touch-down the fire was confined to the area of the aft toilets. The occupants of the passenger cabin were poisoned, to varying degrees by carbon monoxide and other combustion products.

Final Report:

Crash of a Boeing 707-327C off Rio de Janeiro: 2 killed

Date & Time: Jun 9, 1973

Type of aircraft:

Boeing 707

Operator:

Registration:

PP-VLJ

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Cargo

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

MSN:

19106

YOM:

1966

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Circumstances:

On final approach to runway 14 at Rio de Janeiro-Galeão Airport, at an altitude of 200 feet, the airplane nosed down and crashed into the sea. Two crew members were rescued while two others were killed. The aircraft was destroyed.

Probable cause:

On short final, with speed brake lever at 45° and inboard spoilers deactivated, the crew noted that the spoiler switch cover was open. It is believed that the copilot mistakenly closed the spoiler switch cover and thus activated the inboard spoiler, causing the aircraft to pitch down and to crash into the sea.

Crash of a Learjet 24 in Rio de Janeiro: 3 killed

Date & Time: May 4, 1973

Type of aircraft:

Learjet 24

Operator:

Registration:

PT-CXK

Flight Phase:

Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

24-122

YOM:

1966

Location:

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Circumstances:

While approaching Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont Airport, the captain decided to abandon the landing and initiated a go-around manoeuvre after he has been informed about the fact that the runway was wet. He followed a holding circuit for about 30 minutes then started an approach to Rio de Janeiro-Galeão Airport when the airplane struck power cables and crashed few km from the airfield. The aircraft was destroyed and all three occupants were killed. At the time of the accident, the visibility was limited due to low clouds.

Probable cause:

For unknown reason, the crew descended too low while approaching Galeão Airport.

Beechcraft AT-11 Kansan off Rio de Janeiro

Date & Time: May 15, 1971

Type of aircraft:

Beechcraft AT-11 Kansan

Operator:

Río Táxi Aéreo

Registration:

PP-CDE

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Cargo

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Rio de Janeiro – Brasília

MSN:

3546

YOM:

1943

Location:

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Circumstances:

The airplane departed Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont Airport in the early morning on a cargo flight to Brasília, carrying two pilots and a load of newspapers. After he passed over Petrópolis, the crew encountered engine problems and decided to divert to Rio de Janeiro-Galeão Airport. On final, he realized he could not make it and ditched the aircraft into the Guanabara Bay few km from the airport. Both pilots were rescued and the aircraft was lost.

Probable cause:

Unknown technical problems with engine.

Crash of a Douglas C-118B at Ponta Pelada AFB: 16 killed

Date & Time: Apr 28, 1971

Type of aircraft:

Douglas C-118 Liftmaster

Operator:

Registration:

2414

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Manaus - Rio de Janeiro

MSN:

43746

YOM:

1952

Location:

Ponta Pelada AFB, Manaus

Amazonas

Country:

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