Date & Time:
Dec 28, 1989
Type of aircraft:
Antonov AN-24
Operator:
Registration:
YR-BMJ
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Humanitarian
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Bucharest - Belgrade
MSN:
77310801
YOM:
1977
Country:
Romania
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
6
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
1
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
7
Circumstances:
The aircraft departed Bucharest-Otopeni on a special flight to Belgrade to collect humanitarian supplies. While in cruising altitude, the aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed near Vişina. All seven occupants were killed, among them the British photographer and journalist Ian Parry who was covering the Romanian Revolution.
Probable cause:
The probable cause which determined the crash of the AN-24 aircraft registered YR-BMJ in the day of 28th of December, 1989 near the Vişina village, Dimbovita county is the action of a force outside the aircraft, including the possibility of the impact with a foreign object located outside of it and in its flight trajectory, in the area of the left horizontal stabilizer, which is appreciated to have weakened the structure of the left horizontal stabilizer, to have caused an uncommanded and sudden trim of the horizontal stabilizer and a jam in this position, causing the aircraft to enter a dive and the impossibility of the flight crew to actuate the flight controls [in such a manner] to regain control of the flight trajectory, due to reasons independent of the aircraft as well as the will and actions of the crew.
