Crash of an Avro 748-2A in Lake Manyara

Date & Time: Dec 31, 1980
Type of aircraft:
Avro 748
Operator:
Registration:
JW9008
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
MSN:
1751
YOM:
1977
Location:
Lake Manyara
Manyara
Country:
Tanzania
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Upon landing at Lake Manyara, the nose gear collapsed. The airplane slid on its nose for few dozen meters before coming to rest. There were no casualties while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. The exact date of the mishap remains unknown, somewhere in 1980.

Crash of a Douglas C-54B-1-DC Skymaster in Kinshasa

Date & Time: Dec 24, 1980
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-54 Skymaster
Operator:
Zaire Air Force - Force Aérienne Zaïroise
Registration:
9T-THU
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
MSN:
10434
YOM:
1944
Location:
Kinshasa-N'Djili
Kinshasa City Province
Country:
Democratic Republic of Congo
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Damaged beyond repair following a heavy landing at Kinshasa-N’Djili Airport. There were no injuries.

Crash of a Rockwell Aero Commander 680FP in George: 4 killed

Date & Time: Dec 16, 1980
Type of aircraft:
Rockwell Aero Commander 680
Operator:
Milestone Construction
Registration:
ZS-DWW
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Executive/Corporate/Business
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Mountains
MSN:
680-1426-149
YOM:
1964
Location:
George
Western Cape
Country:
South Africa
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
5
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
On final approach to George-Pieter Willem Botha Airport, the twin engine airplane struck the slope of a mountain and crashed. Four passengers were killed while the pilot and another passenger were seriously injured.

Crash of an Antonov AN-26 in Angola: 5 killed

Date & Time: Dec 12, 1980
Type of aircraft:
Antonov AN-26
Operator:
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Location:
Angola
All Angola
Country:
Angola
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
Shot down by enemy fire and crashed in flames somewhere in South Angola, near the Namibian border. All five occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Shot down by a surface to air missile.

Crash of a Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain in Kambala: 10 killed

Date & Time: Dec 5, 1980 at 1445 LT
Type of aircraft:
Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain
Operator:
Tanzania Aviation
Registration:
5H-TAL
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Humanitarian
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Dodoma - Dar es-Salaam
MSN:
31-7652016
YOM:
1976
Location:
Kambala
Morogoro
Country:
Tanzania
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
9
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
10
Circumstances:
The twin engine airplane was completing a special flight from Dodoma to Dar es-Salaam, carrying nine members of the UNO taking part to a humanitarian mission in Tanzania. While cruising at an altitude of 4,000 feet, the pilot encountered poor weather conditions with thunderstorm activity. In clouds, he suffered a spatial disorientation and lost control of the airplane. During the uncontrolled descent, the airplane suffered an overload failure and partially disintegrated before crashing in a pasture. All 10 occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
The accident was caused by midair disintegration owing to structure overload caused by diving speed in excess of the structural design limits. The rest of the fuselage and the remaining part of the empennage then floated downwards as the occupants were flung out of the cabin, some with the seats and seat rails. The following contributing factors were reported:
- The penetration speed was not selected prior to entering the thunderstorm area,
- The pilot suffered a spatial disorientation while flying in clouds,
- The aircraft was overloaded,
- The onboard weather radar was unserviceable at the time of the accident.

Crash of a Rockwell Aero Commander 500S near Oudtshoorn: 4 killed

Date & Time: Nov 28, 1980
Type of aircraft:
Rockwell Aero Commander 500
Operator:
Jarlin Aviation
Registration:
ZS-CBC
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Private
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Johannesburg – Riversdale
MSN:
500-1348-131
YOM:
1963
Location:
Oudtshoorn
Western Cape
Country:
South Africa
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
3
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
The twin engine airplane was completing a flight from Johannesburg-Rand Airport to Riversdale, carrying four members of the South African Air Defence School. En route, the airplane struck the north face of Mt Fouriesberg located in the region of Oudtshoorn, about 10 km west of Robinson Pass. All four occupants were killed.

Crash of an Antonov AN-26 near Menongue

Date & Time: Nov 21, 1980
Type of aircraft:
Antonov AN-26
Operator:
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Location:
Menongue
Cuando Cubango
Country:
Angola
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
En route, the airplane was hit by a surface-to-air SAM-7 missile fired by UNITA rebels. The crew was able to make an emergency landing in a field. Four crew members were rescued while two others were taken prisoners and later released as part of a prisoner exchange program.
Probable cause:
Shot down by a UNITA SAM-7 missile.

Crash of a Lockheed C-141A-LM Starlifter at Cairo West AFB: 13 killed

Date & Time: Nov 12, 1980 at 2353 LT
Type of aircraft:
Lockheed C-141 Starlifter
Operator:
Registration:
67-0030
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
No
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Ramstein - Cairo
MSN:
6281
YOM:
1967
Location:
Jabal al Mansuriyah AFB (Cairo West AFB / Sphinx Intl)
Giza
Country:
Egypt
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
7
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
13
Aircraft flight hours:
18719
Circumstances:
Following an uneventful flight from Ramstein AFB, the crew started the descent by night to Cairo West AFB when the captain decided to initiate a go-around and followed a visual traffic pattern at an altitude of 2,000 feet. While making a turn to join the approach path, the airplane banked left and descended until it struck the ground and disintegrated about 3 km northwest of the airbase. All 13 occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Weather conditions were good at the time of the accident and no mechanical anomalies were found on the aircraft, its equipments and engines. Without any further details, it was reported that the runway light system installed by British Calvert System was considered as a contributing factor.

Crash of a Boeing 737-2M2C in Benguela

Date & Time: Nov 5, 1980
Type of aircraft:
Boeing 737-200
Operator:
Registration:
D2-TAA
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Luanda - Benguela
MSN:
21172
YOM:
1975
Flight number:
DT444
Location:
Benguela
Benguela
Country:
Angola
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
128
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
On final approach to Benguela Airport, the crew failed to realize his altitude was too low. On short final, the airplane struck the ground 4 meters short of runway threshold. On impact, the undercarriage were torn off. The airplane slid for about 900 meters then turn slightly to the right, lost its left engine and right wing before coming to rest in flames. All 134 occupants were evacuated, among them 34 were injured. The aircraft was destroyed.
Probable cause:
Lack of VASIs and threshold markings caused the pilot's inability to follow the correct approach slope.
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