The Boeing 707-349C involved in the Aer Lingus livery 3 years before the accident
| |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 21 March 1989[1] |
| Summary | Stall caused by pilot error on approach |
| Site | Vila Barros, near São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport, Guarulhos, State of São Paulo, Brazil |
| Total fatalities | 25(3 on the aircraft, 22 on the ground) |
| Total injuries | over 200 (on the ground) |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 707-349C |
| Operator | Transbrasil |
| ICAO flight No. | TBA801 |
| Registration | PT-TCS |
| Flight origin | Eduardo Gomes International Airport, Manaus |
| Destination | São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport |
| Occupants | 3 |
| Passengers | 0 |
| Crew | 3 |
| Fatalities | 3 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Ground casualties | |
| Ground fatalities | 22 |
| Ground injuries | over 200 |
Transbrasil Flight 801 (TR801/TBA801) was a scheduled cargo flight from Eduardo Gomes International AirporttoSão Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport that crashed on 21 March 1989. The Boeing 707 crashed into a heavily populated sluminGuarulhos 2 kilometres (1.2 mi; 1.1 nmi) from the runway. The crash resulted in the death of all 3 crew members and 22 people on the ground. 200 people were injured.[2]
The aircraft was a Boeing 707-349C registration PT-TCS with manufacturer serial number 19354 and line number 503.[3] It was powered by 4 Pratt & Whitney JT3D-3B turbofan engines. Its maiden flight was on June 9, 1966, meaning it had been in service for 22 years and 10 months when it crashed. It had accumulated 61,000 flight hours.[1]
The plane had been used in the filming of the 1970 disaster movie Airport. At the time it was owned by Flying Tiger Line.[4] It was subsequently operated by Aer Lingus, EI AI and British Caledonian before being sold to Transbrasil.[5]
The accident occurred at 11:54 am, Brasilia time. The aircraft was making a high speed approach to runway 09R of São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport as the runway was set to be closed in 6 minutes' time for runway maintenance. One of the crew members activated the air brakes by mistake. This resulted in the aircraft losing too much airspeed and stalling. The aircraft then crashed into a residential area near Rua Regente Feijó and Rua Sandovalina in the Jardim Scyntila neighborhood approximately 2 kilometres (1.2 mi; 1.1 nmi) from the runway.[1] The aircraft was carrying over 15,000 litres (3,300 imp gal; 4,000 US gal) of jet fuel at the time of impact, which caught fire immediately, resulting in the death of all 3 crew members on board and 22 civilians in the slums along with over 200 injured.[2] The aircraft was loaded with 26 tonnes (26,000 kg; 57,000 lb) of television sets and toys from the Manaus Free Trade Zone, all of which were destroyed.[6] This was the first serious crash since the inauguration of São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport on 20 January 1985.[7]
The investigation carried out by the Department of Civil Aviation at the time indicated that the accident was caused by human error. The aircraft had been inspected two months before the accident and was considered "fit" to operate.[1]
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Aviation accidents and incidents in 1989 (1989)
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|---|---|
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Jan 8 Feb 8 Feb 19 Feb 24 Mar 10 Mar 18 Evergreen International Airlines Flight 17 Mar 21 Jun 7 Jun 17 Jul 4 Jul 19 Jul 21 Philippine Airlines Flight 124 Jul 27 Aug 3 Aug 13 Alice Springs hot air balloon crash Aug 15 China Eastern Airlines Flight 5510 Aug 25 Pakistan International Airlines Flight 404 Sep 3 Cubana de Aviación Flight 9046 Sep 3 Sep 8 Sep 19 Sep 20 Oct 18 Soviet Air Force Ilyushin Il-76 crash Oct 21 Oct 26 Nov 25 Nov 27 Nov 27 Dec 15 Dec 26 | |
Brazil
Aviation
