1996 Croatia USAF CT-43 crash
Encyclopedia
On April 3, 1996, a United States Air Force
CT-43A crashed on approach to Dubrovnik
, Croatia
while on an official trade mission. The aircraft, a Boeing 737
-253 built as a T-43 navigation trainer, was carrying United States Secretary of Commerce
Ron Brown
and 34 other people, including The New York Times
Frankfurt
Bureau chief Nathaniel C. Nash. While attempting an instrument approach
to Dubrovnik Airport
, the airplane crashed into a mountainside killing everyone on board. Air Force Tech. Sgt Shelly Kelly initially survived the impact of the crash but died from her injuries hours later in an ambulance.
The aircraft was operated by the 86th Airlift Wing
, based at Ramstein Air Base
in Germany. Unlike civilian 737s, the military CT-43A version was equipped with neither a flight data recorder
nor a cockpit voice recorder
.
The official Air Force accident investigation board report noted several reasons that led the CT-43, callsign IFO-21 (short for Implementation Force), to crash. Chief among the findings was a "failure of command, aircrew error and an improperly designed instrument approach procedure". Notably the inclement weather was not deemed a substantial contributing factor in the crash.
The CT-43A used for this flight had formerly been a training aircraft that had been converted for distinguished visitor travel. The flight had been on an IFR
NDB
approach, which is a non-precision type of instrument approach, to Runway 12 when it strayed off course. Non-precision approaches are those that do not incorporate vertical guidance. While NDB approaches are essentially obsolete in the U.S. they are still used widely in other parts of the world. Because of their infrequent use in the U.S. many American pilots are not fully proficient in performing them (a NASA survey showed that 60% of U.S. transport-rated pilots had not flown an NDB approach in the last year). The investigation board determined that the approach used was not approved for Department of Defense
aircraft, and should not have been used by the aircraft crew. The board determined that the particular NDB approach used required two operating ADF, the instrument used to fly such an approach, on board the aircraft, but this aircraft only had one. One was required to track the outbound course of 119° from the Kolocep NDB (KLP). Another was required to observe when the aircraft had flown beyond the Cavtat NDB (CV) which marked the missed approach point. Further, the board noted that the approach was rushed, with the aircraft flying at 80 knots (156.8 km/h) above the proper final approach speed, and had not received the proper landing clearance from the control tower.
The crash site, on a 2,300 ft (701 m) hill, was 1.6 miles (2.6 km) northeast of where the aircraft should have been on the inbound course to the NDB. The published NDB approach brings the inbound aircraft down a valley, and has a minimum descent height of 2,150 feet (655 m) at the missed approach point (where they should have climbed and turned to the right if the runway was not in view), which is below the elevation of the hills to the north. The runway is at 510 feet (155.4 m) MSL. Five other aircraft had landed prior to the CT-43A and had not experienced any problems with the navigational aids. There was no emergency call from the pilots, and they did not initiate a missed approach
, even though they were beyond the missed approach point when they hit the hill at 2:57 PM local time.
The area of the crash site is identified by a large (10 meter tall) stainless steel cross on Stražišće peak. Hikers can reach the peak via the Ronald Brown path which is named in commemoration of the U.S. Secretary of Commerce who died in the crash. It is not unusual for hikers to find military aircraft remnants from the crash.
The crash is featured on the 4th series the air crash investigation show Mayday
, entitled Fog of War.
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
CT-43A crashed on approach to Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its total population is 42,641...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
while on an official trade mission. The aircraft, a Boeing 737
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
-253 built as a T-43 navigation trainer, was carrying United States Secretary of Commerce
United States Secretary of Commerce
The United States Secretary of Commerce is the head of the United States Department of Commerce concerned with business and industry; the Department states its mission to be "to foster, promote, and develop the foreign and domestic commerce"...
Ron Brown
Ron Brown (U.S. politician)
Ronald Harmon "Ron" Brown was the United States Secretary of Commerce, serving during the first term of President Bill Clinton. He was the first African American to hold this position...
and 34 other people, including The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
Bureau chief Nathaniel C. Nash. While attempting an instrument approach
Instrument approach
For aircraft operating under instrument flight rules , an instrument approach or instrument approach procedure is a series of predetermined maneuvers for the orderly transfer of an aircraft under instrument flight conditions from the beginning of the initial approach to a landing, or to a point...
to Dubrovnik Airport
Dubrovnik Airport
-Traffic statistics:Dubrovnik Airport handled 1,270,062 passengers in 2010.In 1987 Dubrovnik Airport handled 1.5 million passengers and 2500 tons of cargo, making 1987 year the busiest thus far...
, the airplane crashed into a mountainside killing everyone on board. Air Force Tech. Sgt Shelly Kelly initially survived the impact of the crash but died from her injuries hours later in an ambulance.
The aircraft was operated by the 86th Airlift Wing
86th Airlift Wing
The 86th Airlift Wing is a United States Air Force wing, currently assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe. The 86th AW is stationed at Ramstein Air Base, Germany-Mission:...
, based at Ramstein Air Base
Ramstein Air Base
Ramstein Air Base is a United States Air Force base in the German state of Rheinland-Pfalz. It serves as headquarters for the United States Air Forces in Europe and is also a North Atlantic Treaty Organization installation...
in Germany. Unlike civilian 737s, the military CT-43A version was equipped with neither a flight data recorder
Flight data recorder
A flight data recorder is an electronic device employed to record any instructions sent to any electronic systems on an aircraft. It is a device used to record specific aircraft performance parameters...
nor a cockpit voice recorder
Cockpit voice recorder
A cockpit voice recorder , often referred to as a "black box", is a flight recorder used to record the audio environment in the flight deck of an aircraft for the purpose of investigation of accidents and incidents...
.
Crash details
The CT-43A used for this flight had formerly been a training aircraft that had been converted for distinguished visitor travel. The flight had been on an IFR
Instrument flight rules
Instrument flight rules are one of two sets of regulations governing all aspects of civil aviation aircraft operations; the other are visual flight rules ....
NDB
Non-directional beacon
A non-directional beacon is a radio transmitter at a known location, used as an aviation or marine navigational aid. As the name implies, the signal transmitted does not include inherent directional information, in contrast to other navigational aids such as low frequency radio range, VHF...
approach, which is a non-precision type of instrument approach, to Runway 12 when it strayed off course. Non-precision approaches are those that do not incorporate vertical guidance. While NDB approaches are essentially obsolete in the U.S. they are still used widely in other parts of the world. Because of their infrequent use in the U.S. many American pilots are not fully proficient in performing them (a NASA survey showed that 60% of U.S. transport-rated pilots had not flown an NDB approach in the last year). The investigation board determined that the approach used was not approved for Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
aircraft, and should not have been used by the aircraft crew. The board determined that the particular NDB approach used required two operating ADF, the instrument used to fly such an approach, on board the aircraft, but this aircraft only had one. One was required to track the outbound course of 119° from the Kolocep NDB (KLP). Another was required to observe when the aircraft had flown beyond the Cavtat NDB (CV) which marked the missed approach point. Further, the board noted that the approach was rushed, with the aircraft flying at 80 knots (156.8 km/h) above the proper final approach speed, and had not received the proper landing clearance from the control tower.
The crash site, on a 2,300 ft (701 m) hill, was 1.6 miles (2.6 km) northeast of where the aircraft should have been on the inbound course to the NDB. The published NDB approach brings the inbound aircraft down a valley, and has a minimum descent height of 2,150 feet (655 m) at the missed approach point (where they should have climbed and turned to the right if the runway was not in view), which is below the elevation of the hills to the north. The runway is at 510 feet (155.4 m) MSL. Five other aircraft had landed prior to the CT-43A and had not experienced any problems with the navigational aids. There was no emergency call from the pilots, and they did not initiate a missed approach
Missed approach
Missed approach is an instrument flight rules procedure which is a standard component segment of an instrument approach. Generally, if the pilot flying or the pilot in command determines by the time the aircraft is at the decision height or missed approach point , that the runway or its...
, even though they were beyond the missed approach point when they hit the hill at 2:57 PM local time.
The area of the crash site is identified by a large (10 meter tall) stainless steel cross on Stražišće peak. Hikers can reach the peak via the Ronald Brown path which is named in commemoration of the U.S. Secretary of Commerce who died in the crash. It is not unusual for hikers to find military aircraft remnants from the crash.
The crash is featured on the 4th series the air crash investigation show Mayday
Mayday (TV series)
Mayday, also known as Air Crash Investigation in the United Kingdom, Australia and Asia and Air Emergency and Air Disasters in the United States, is a Canadian documentary television programme produced by Cineflix investigating air crashes, near-crashes and other disasters...
, entitled Fog of War.