A Canadair CL-44 crashed in Da Nang in 1966

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Canadair CL-44 crashed in Da Nang in 1966
N228SW CL-44-D4 BOAC Cargo - Seaboard World LHR 06MAR64 (6806257681) .jpg

The affected machine when it was still leased to BOAC
Accident summary
Accident type Controlled flight into terrain
place Da Nang , South VietnamVietnam SudSouth Vietnam 
date December 24, 1966
Fatalities 4th
Survivors 0
Fatalities on the ground 107
Injured on the ground 50
Aircraft
Aircraft type CanadaCanada Canadair CL-44D4-1
operator United StatesUnited States Flying Tiger Line
Mark United StatesUnited States N228SW
Departure airport Tachikawa Air Force Base , JapanJapanJapan 
Destination airport Da Nang Airport , South VietnamVietnam SudSouth Vietnam 
Passengers 0
crew 4th
Lists of aviation accidents

The accident involving a Canadair CL-44 in Da Nang in 1966 occurred on December 24, 1966 on an intercontinental cargo flight of the Flying Tiger Line from Tachikawa to Da Nang . On that day, a Canadair CL-44D4-1 was flown into a settlement approaching Da Nang , killing 111 people. It was the first incident involving a Canadair CL-44 with fatalities, and it is also the most serious aircraft accident involving this type of aircraft.

Machine and occupants

The aircraft was a Canadair CL-44D4-1 with the serial number 31 . The machine made its maiden flight on April 16, 1962 with the test number CF-OFH-X . On June 18, 1962, the machine was delivered to Seaboard World Airlines , which took it into operation with the aircraft registration number N228SW . From September 30, 1963, the machine was leased to BOAC , on October 31, 1965, the machine returned to Seabord World Airlines and was stored. From November 3, 1965 a leasing to the Flying Tiger Line followed. The four-engine long-haul cargo plane was equipped with a swing-tail and four turboprop engines of the type Rolls-Royce Tyne 515 equipped.

There was only a four-person crew on board the machine.

the accident

The machine was approaching Da Nang Airport in bad weather and with low fuel reserves . The crew completed a cargo flight from Tachikawa Air Force Base to Da Nang as part of a mission for the US Air Force . The machine was loaded with various items of equipment and goods. A radar-based approach to the runway was flown with the CL-44 at night, heavy rain and fog. Due to the almost empty tanks, a return to another airport was impossible despite the difficult weather. About a kilometer south of the runway, the plane brushed treetops and crashed into a residential area. The machine left a 275 meter long swath, it destroyed 66 thatched roof huts in Binh Tahi. The four crew members and 107 civilians on the ground were killed. 50 other people were injured on the ground, 19 of them seriously.

causes

It has been speculated that the real cause of the accident was wind shear . There were also rumors that the plane was shot down by opponents in the Vietnam War . Both turned out to be wrong; it was rather a controlled flight into terrain . It was assumed that the crew continued the approach below the glide path under difficult weather conditions, probably to establish visual contact with the ground. The difficult weather conditions and the associated poor visibility were seen as factors.

swell