The Douglas DC-8 Incident List provides an overview of incidents resulting in death or total loss of Douglas DC-8 aircraft .
In accidents with the DC-8, between the first flight in 1958 and February 2019, there were 83 total losses in 556 aircraft. In 53 of them, 2332 people were killed.
On January 19, 1961, a DC-8-21 of the Aeronaves de México (XA-XAX) with 97 passengers and nine crew members on board had an accident when the take-off from Idlewild Airport (today 's John F. Kennedy International Airport ) was canceled. The incident was caused by the third, non-flying pilot who operated the thrust levers without prior consultation and thus reduced the power of the four engines . Four crew members died in the accident. At the time of the incident, the weather was bad and the runway was covered in snow. It is also possible that the heating of the pitot tube was not switched on (see also Aeronaves de México flight 401 ) .
Apr. 25, 1961 - A Japan Air Lines (JA8003) DC-8-32 crashed at Haneda Airport . The machine broke apart and was severely damaged, but after nine months of restoration it was returned to Japan Air Lines as the DC-8-53 (JA8008).
On May 30, 1961, a DC-8-53, operated by the Dutch KLM for the Venezuelan VIASA (PH-DCL) , crashed into the sea five minutes after taking off from Lisbon Airport . All 61 people on board died. How the accident came about has not yet been clarified.
On July 11, 1961, a United Air Lines DC-8-12 (N8040U) with 122 people on board had a problem with the hydraulic system. Two tires burst during the emergency landing at Denver / Stapleton Airport . The plane turned and caught fire. The fire fighting and rescue of the people showed serious deficiencies in terms of organization, equipment and personnel despite previous complaints from the airport. Seventeen people died (one of them from the ground crew), 84 people got away with injuries (see also United Air Lines Flight 859 ) .
On July 7, 1962, an Alitalia DC-8-43 ( I-DIWD ) collided with a mountain on its way from Sydney via Bangkok and Tehran to Rome while approaching Bombay . All 94 people on board died in the accident caused by a navigation error.
On August 20, 1962, the captain of a DC-8-33 of Panair do Brasil (PP-PDT) broke off the take-off of his plane from Rio de Janeiro-Galeão airport at a late point in time . The plane rolled over the end of the runway and crashed into the sea. During the aircraft accident investigations it was found that although the brakes were applied, the thrust reverser no longer worked after all engines were damaged. The emergency lighting did not work and the passengers had not been informed of the location of the emergency exits or the use of life jackets. After drifting about 100 meters, the aircraft sank within 25 minutes. 15 of the 105 people on board were killed (see also Panair-do-Brasil flight 026 ) .
On July 4, 1966, two of the five crew members were killed on board an Air New Zealand DC-8-52 (ZK-NZB) in a crash shortly after take-off. There were no passengers on board the machine.
On March 5, 1967, a DC-8-33 of the Brazilian VARIG (PP-PEA) had an accident on the flight from Rome to Monrovia . The master initially failed to initiate the descent in good time before landing. When he saw the lights at Monrovia airport, he initiated a hasty descent under visual flight rules when visibility was poor. In doing so, he let the machine sink too quickly. The DC-8 hit 1.8 kilometers from the runway ( controlled flight into terrain ). The flight engineer, 50 passengers and five people died on the ground. Of the remaining occupants, 21 passengers and 18 crew members survived the accident. The investigation report criticized the fact that the 18 surviving crew members did not make any particular effort to help evacuate the remaining passengers in the aircraft (see also VARIG flight 837 ) .
On May 19, 1967 rolled out a DC-8F-54 of Air Canada (CF TJM) on a training flight landing at the Ottawa International Airport to the side and crashed in inverted flight to the ground. All three crew members were killed. In the investigation report, the flight accident investigators accused the crew of having carried out a flight training maneuver under conditions that made it impossible to maintain control of the machine (see also the accident involving a Douglas DC-8 operated by Air Canada near Ottawa ) .
On April 28, 1968, a Douglas DC-8-31 crashed the US Capitol International Airways (N1802) on the Atlantic City Airport . The four crew members who completed a training flight survived the incident. The aircraft was written off as a total loss.
On August 2, 1968, an Alitalia DC-8-43 (I-DIWF) struck about 11 kilometers from the runway in Milan en route from Rome via Milan to Montreal . Of the 95 people on board, 13 lost their lives.
November 22, 1968 - A Japan Air Lines DC-8-33 (JA8032) hit the water about four kilometers from the runway at San Francisco Airport in thick fog . All 120 passengers and crew members survived the accident. The aircraft was later salvaged, repaired and put back into service.
On July 5, 1970, the co-pilot of an Air Canada DC-8-63 ( aircraft registration CF-TIW) accidentally fully deployed the spoilers on the final approach to Toronto . When attempting to take off , the aircraft landed very hard on the runway for a brief moment, tearing off an engine and damaging a tank shell. After taking off, several explosions destroyed the right wing. All 109 occupants were killed in the crash (see also Air Canada flight 621 ).
On July 27, 1970, the crew of a DC-8-63AF of the US Flying Tiger Line (N785FT) carried out an approach using precision approach radar to the Okinawa-Naha Air Force Base in poor visibility . In doing so, she lowered the aircraft so far below the glide path that the machine hit the water 670 meters from the runway. All four crew members died in this CFIT ( Controlled flight into terrain ).
On November 27, 1970, a DC-8-63 manned by soldiers of the US American Capitol International Airways (N4909C) took off on the way to Cam Ranh Bay in the Vietnam War when it took off in Anchorage (Alaska, USA) due to an unexplained fault in the braking system did not stop with the brakes locked and shot over the end of the runway. The problem was noticed too late by the pilots. Of the 229 occupants, 47 died, 182 survived (see also Capitol International Airways flight C2C3 / 26 ) .
Alitalia DC-8 wreck, 1972
On May 5, 1972, an Alitalia DC-8-43 (I-DIWB) crashed during its nocturnal approach to Palermo , when the pilots had not carried out the usual approach procedures and the machine flew into a mountain (CFIT, Controlled flight into terrain ) . All 115 people on board died.
On June 14, 1972, a DC-8-53 from Japan Air Lines (JA8012) collided with an obstacle about 20 kilometers from Delhi Airport (India) and crashed on the ground, with 82 of the 87 people on board and 3 am Soil died.
On July 6, 1972, a DC-8-52 of the Spanish Aviaco (EC-ARA) coming from Madrid was flown into the sea 21 kilometers from Gran Canaria Airport . In this CFIT ( Controlled flight into terrain ) all 10 crew members died on board the machine. There were no passengers on board, as the machine was on a positioning flight to fly tourists from Gran Canaria to Hamburg.
On September 24, 1972, a Japan Air Lines DC-8-53 (JA8013) was approaching Bombay Airport when the pilots mistakenly headed for the smaller Bombay-Juhu airport near it instead of the international airport. On landing, the machine shot over the runway, which was much too short at 1,143 m in length. There were no fatalities among the 122 occupants, but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
On November 28, 1972, a Douglas DC-8-62 lost the Japan Airlines (JA8040) shortly after taking off from Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport suddenly altitude and crashed after a stall to the ground. Of the 76 people on board, 61 died.
On May 10, 1973, a Thai Airways International (HS-TGU) DC-8-30 crashed while landing at Kathmandu Airport . After touching down late, it overshot the end of the runway, killing a person on the ground. The plane was destroyed.
On September 8, 1973, the captain of a DC-8-63CF operated by US World Airways (N802WA) , which was operating a cargo flight for the USAF from Fairfield Travis Air Force Base to Cold Bay Airport , left the prescribed route . The machine was flying over a mountainous area where it received unreliable navigation signals. At an altitude of 1060 meters, the machine flew into Mount Dutton . All six inmates were killed.
On March 23, 1974 at Fairfield Travis Air Force Base, during scheduled maintenance work on a DC-8-63CF of the US Airlift International (N6164A), kerosene fumes caused an explosion in an onboard main tank. One person was killed. The investigation report attributed the accident to incorrect maintenance.
On December 4, 1974, a DC-8-55 of the Dutch Martinair (PH-MBH) was flown into a mountain on the approach to Colombo . All 191 people on board were killed in this CFIT ( Controlled flight into terrain ) - 182 Indonesian passengers and 9 Dutch crew members (see also Martinair flight 138 ) .
On October 6, 1976, a Cubana DC-8-43 ( CU-T1201 ) launched from Barbados Airport was destroyed by a terrorist attack en route via Kingston Airport to Cuba. All 73 occupants, 48 passengers and 25 crew members were killed. Two bombs were brought on board by a CIA-affiliated terrorist organization run by the Cuban exile Luis Posada Carriles . The ignition took place during the climb, so that the machine crashed eight kilometers west of the departure airport into the sea. To date, Luis Posada Carriles has not been punished by the US for his act. Among the passengers were 24 members of the Cuban fencing team , who had just received all gold medals in the Central American and Caribbean championships (see Cubana flight 455 ) .
On 13 January 1977 came at a Douglas DC-8-62AF cargo plane of Japan Airlines (JA8054) shortly after taking off from the airport Anchorage (Alaska) to a stall ; she fell to the ground. All five crew members of the machine died, including the heavily drunk captain (see also Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 8054 ) .
On March 4, 1977, a DC-8-63CF (N8635) struck in the dark about 800 meters from the runway at Niamey Airport ( Niger. ) On a cargo flight operated by the US Overseas National Airways in wet lease for the French UTA ). Two of the four crew members were killed in the accident.
On September 27, 1977, a DC-8-62 of Japan Air Lines (JA8051) flew 6.5 kilometers from the runway into a low hill while approaching Kuala Lumpur-Subang Airport (Malaysia). Of the 79 people on board, 34 died.
On December 18, 1977, a Douglas DC-8F-54 "Jet Trader" (N8047U) of the US American United Airlines flew on a cargo flight due to an error in the electrical system holding patterns over Salt Lake City . For a period of seven and a half minutes, the pilots interrupted radio contact with air traffic control in order to coordinate the further course of action with United Airlines technicians on a different radio frequency. During this time the machine flew into a mountainous area. When radio contact could be re-established, the air traffic controller on duty instructed the crew to immediately make a left turn and climb up. Seconds later, the DC-8 crashed into a mountain slope at an altitude of 2200 meters. The three-person crew was killed (see also United Airlines flight 2860 ) .
On November 25, 1978, a DC-8-63CF of the Icelandic Loftleiðir (TF-FLA) fell below the minimum altitude during the approach to Colombo (Sri Lanka) in the dark and hit two kilometers from the Bandaranaike International Airport . The machine was to carry out a Hajj charter flight from Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) to Surabaya (Indonesia) on behalf of Garuda Indonesia . A technical stopover was planned in Colombo. On board were 249 passengers, 175 of whom were killed, as well as 13 crew members, of which eight died (see also Loftleiðir flight 001 ) .
On December 28, 1978, a United Airlines DC-8-61 (N8032U) crash-landed in the woods just outside Portland (Oregon) Airport . The machine had run out of fuel while on hold due to landing gear problems before landing. Of the 189 occupants, 10 were killed (see also United Airlines flight 173 ) .
On October 7, 1979, a Swissair (HB-IDE) DC-8-62 coming from Geneva rolled over the end of the runway at Athens-Ellinikon Airport due to a landing that was carried out too late at excessive speed and insufficient braking , and hit a four-meter -long runway lower street and caught fire. 14 of the 144 passengers and ten crew members were killed (see also Swissair flight 316 ) .
1980s
On August 1, 1980, a DC-8-43F of Aeronaves del Peru was flown on a cargo flight from Lima to Mexico City in a descent in fog against the hill Cerro Lilio, 24 kilometers from the airport. Three of the seven crew members were killed.
On September 12, 1980, an Aeronaves del Peru DC-8-33F (OB-R-1143) , which was on a cargo flight from Lima to Iquitos , crashed into the jungle while approaching it, killing all three crew members. Nothing further is known about the circumstances of the accident.
On February 9, 1982, a Douglas DC-8-61 of Japan Air Lines (JA8061) approached Tokyo Haneda Airport because of deliberate intervention by the pilot (attempted extended suicide) from the landing path and crashed into Tokyo Bay. 24 of the 174 occupants died (see also Japan Air Lines flight 350 ) .
On September 17, 1982, a DC-8-61 operated by Japan Air Lines (JA8048 ) had a major hydraulic system failure after taking off from Shanghai-Hongqiao Airport (China). The pilots returned to Shanghai and made an emergency landing that destroyed the plane but did not kill any of the 124 occupants.
On January 11, 1983, the crew of a United Airlines DC-8-54F (N8053U) , which was supposed to fly from Detroit to Los Angeles , overlooked the checklist that the horizontal stabilizer was still in the landing position. After lifting the machine rolled to the right and crashed due to a stall on a farm. All three crew members were killed.
On September 18, 1984, a Douglas DC-8-55F of AECA Aeroservicios Ecuatorianos (HC-BKN) took off from Aeropuerto Internacional Mariscal Sucre (1960) in Quito for a cargo flight to Guayaquil airport . When taking off, the machine hardly gained any height, brushed the structure of the instrument landing system behind the runway and crashed into a residential area. On the ground, 20 houses were destroyed and 49 people were killed. The four-man crew of the machine was also killed. The aircraft accident investigation revealed that the checklist had not been properly processed before departure, so that the aircraft took off with an incorrect setting of the horizontal stabilizer (see also AECA flight 767-103 ) .
On December 12, 1985, an Arrow Air DC-8-63PF (N950JW) , which had been chartered by the American military, crashed immediately after take-off in Gander , Canada . All 256 inmates were killed. The cause of the accident could not be clearly clarified (see also Arrow Air flight 1285 ) .
On March 31, 1988, when a DC-8-55F of the Nigerian Arax Airlines (5N-ARH) , which was supposed to operate a cargo flight to Sharjah airport , caught fire at Cairo airport, an engine caught on for the second time . The plane crashed at the end of the runway, killing the four-man crew.
On June 7, 1989, a DC-8-62 operated by Surinam Airways (N1809E) was flown into the ground three kilometers from Suriname / Zanderij airport . In fog, you approached too low, fell below the prescribed decision height by more than 110 meters (360 ft) and collided with trees. In this controlled flight into terrain (CFIT), 167 of the 178 passengers and all nine crew members died. The captain, who was on loan from the USA, had already exceeded the then valid age limit of 60 years by six years and had not completed a valid inspection flight on the DC-8. The first officer flew under a false name and without a valid license (see also Surinam Airways flight 764 ) .
1990s
On March 12, 1991, a Douglas DC-8-62H of the US Air Transport International (N730PL) had an accident while taking off at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. The aircraft was destroyed in the process, but none of the 5 people on board were killed. The cause was incorrectly calculated take-off and trim data by the flight engineer , who had assumed a weight that was 45 tons too low. Therefore, the plane could not take off.
On July 11, 1991, a DC-8-61 from Nationair Canada (C-GMXQ) crashed near King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah while attempting an emergency landing. With 261 fatalities, it is the worst accident involving a DC-8. The cause was insufficient tire pressure, which led to two tires bursting at the start in Jeddah and the landing gear catching fire. After retracting the landing gear, the fire spread in the fuselage (see also Nigeria Airways flight 2120 ) .
On February 15, 1992, all four people on board a Douglas DC-8-63F of the US Air Transport International (N794AL) died when the crew lost their spatial orientation during a go- around at Toledo Express Airport and the machine was 5 kilometers northwest of the Crashed at the airport.
On August 18, 1993, a DC-8-61F of the US-American Kalitta American International Airways (N814CK) crashed on American-International-Airlines-Flight 808 on the approach to the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base as a result of a stall . The machine broke on impact, went up in flames and was completely destroyed. The three crew members survived the potentially fatal accident, seriously injured - in particular due to the fact that the cockpit section was torn off in the impact and thrown far away from the burning wreckage (see American International Airways Flight 808 ) .
On February 16, 1995, a Douglas DC-8-63F of the US Air Transport International (N782AL) had an accident at Kansas City International Airport . An attempt was made to take off with only three engines running and all three crew members were killed. A loss of control of the aircraft due to insufficient experience of the crew with this type of take-off was found to be the cause. Contributory negligence was attributed to the airline, as it would have failed to deploy an adequately trained crew (see also Air Transport International flight 782 ) .
On 28 April 1995 shot one from Miami coming Douglas DC-8-54AF Jet Trader of US Millon Air (N43UA) , which on a cargo flight through the Millon Air for Lineas Aereas Mayas was operated, the runway end in Guatemala City and fell down an embankment in a residential area. There were no fatalities on board the machine, but six people died on the ground (see also Millon Air flight 705 ) .
On February 4, 1996, an empty Douglas DC-8-55F of LAC Colombia (HK-3979X) took off from Asunción Airport for a positioning flight to Viracopos Airport near Sao Paulo in order to carry out a cargo flight from there. Shortly after taking off, the power of two engines was throttled. There was a stall and the machine fell two kilometers behind the runway onto a playing field. All three crew members and the only passenger on board were killed and 20 people were killed on the ground. It was suspected that the crew had used the positioning flight to carry out unauthorized pilot training (see also LAC Colombia flight 028 ) .
On December 22, 1996, a Douglas DC-8-63F of the US Airborne Express (N827AX) crashed on a test flight. A stall was to be simulated along with a number of other maneuvers. The machine suffered an actual stall from which the crew could no longer intercept it. The DC-8 hit the ground near Narrows, Virginia . All six people on board the machine died (see also Airborne Express flight 827 ) .
On August 7, 1997, a US Fine Air DC-8-61F crashed shortly after taking off from Miami Airport . All four crew members and one person on the ground were killed in the accident. The investigations showed that the machine was loaded incorrectly and therefore the center of gravity was too far back (see also Fine-Air-Flight 101 ) .
From 2000
The last fatal accident with a DC-8 occurred on February 16, 2000. A DC-8-71F of the US cargo airline Emery Worldwide (N8079U) crashed into a car scrap yard shortly after taking off from Sacramento Mather Airport ( California ). Inadequate maintenance was found to be the cause of the accident. This had led to the operating rod of the right Flettner rudder coming loose during take - off, thereby losing altitude control and loss of control (see also Emery Worldwide flight 17 ) .
↑ Aircraft accident investigation report of the Greek investigation commission (set up by the civil aviation authority of Greece) on the accident of the airplane Mc Donnell Douglas DC-8-62, HB-IDE of Swissair, Switzerland. Luftverkehr AG dated October 7, 1979 at Athens Airport, Greece. Federal Transport and Energy Department, No. 1979 / A 1 - 992
