COPA Flight 201
Encyclopedia
Copa Airlines flight 201 was a Boeing 737-200 that was making a flight en-route from Tocumen International Airport
in Panama City to Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport
in Cali, Colombia, on the night of June 12, 1992. Flight 201 flipped and crashed in the Darien Gap just minutes after its departure from the airport. The accident of Flight 201 is the most tragic airliner disaster in the history of Panamanian aviation, and the first and to date the only fatal disaster in the history of Copa Airlines in the last 50 years. An investigation later determined that the flight crashed due to faulty instrument readings.
, which it was delivered by Boeing in February 18, 1980, for the now defunct british company Brittania Airways with the nickname of "Jean Baton" and the tail number as G-BGYL. They remained with the jet for 12 years, until April 17, 1992, when it was leased to the Panama´s flag carrier, Copa Airlines
, with the tail number as HP-1205 and the Copa´s billboard livery (1990-1999) just one month and a half before the accident.
in Panama City for a flight to Cali
, Colombia
with 40 passengers and 7 crew. Among its passengers were Colombian merchants conducting business in Panama. Because of severe tropical storms, the pilot requested permission from Tocumen air traffic control to fly a different route, taking the plane over Darién Province
. A few minutes later, the pilot radioed Tocumen air traffic control again, announcing his intention to return to his original route.
Just seconds after the call to Tocumen air traffic control and passing the thunderstorms that were falling in the original route, flight 201 entered into a steep dive of an angle of 100 degrees to the right side and rolled uncontrolable to the ground, until it passed the speed of sound and as a consequence, the plane passed the speed limit to hold itself. The pilots tried to level up the aircraft as a desperate and heroic try to save the plane, but it crashed in a jungle area of the Darien Gap at the speed of 400 knots (460 miles per hour), killing all 47 passengers on board instantly.
Two minutes after this call, Tocumen air traffic control radioed again flight 201 but with no answers from the aircraft. Seconds later, the Tocumen ATC had realized that the contact was lost and declared a emergency. At dawn the next day, search aircraft were sent to Flight 201's last known position. After 8 hours, searchers spotted the first piece of wreckage of the aircraft in the jungle of the Darien Gap. Because of the remote area and the difficult access where the crash occurred, it took rescue personnel 12 hours to reach the site itself, and after they reached the crash site, the investigations begun to find the causes of the crash of the 737.
was recovered and flown to Panama City, then flown to the United States for analysis by the NTSB. However, NTSB analysts discovered that the tape was broken due to a maintenance error in the aircraft. Crash investigators had better luck with the flight data recorder
, which showed the plane was in a high-speed dive before it broke up. The trouble was later traced to a faulty wiring harness (cable) to the artificial horizon and attitude indicating instruments, which when failed caused the indicator to mislead the pilot into thinking he was going left, prompting him to bank to the right, that eventually rolled the aircraft and caused it to go into a steep dive, with no chance of recovery.
A special team consisting of personnel from Copa Holdings, Boeing
, Pratt & Whitney
and the NTSB worked together with Panamanian authorities on the investigation, which lasted for one year.
.
It was Nova episode 389, originally aired on 30 November 1993 and repeated several times since.
Tocumen International Airport
Tocumen International Airport is an international airport located from Panama City, Panama. In 2006, it underwent a major expansion and renovation program in order to modernize and improve its facilities...
in Panama City to Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport
Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport
-Cargo airlines:-Accidents and incidents :*On 3 May, Douglas C-47B FAC-1126 of SATENA was damaged beyond repair in an accident at Palmaseca Airport.*On 21 January 1974, a Vickers Viscount of Aeropesca Colombia was hijacked and diverted to Cali....
in Cali, Colombia, on the night of June 12, 1992. Flight 201 flipped and crashed in the Darien Gap just minutes after its departure from the airport. The accident of Flight 201 is the most tragic airliner disaster in the history of Panamanian aviation, and the first and to date the only fatal disaster in the history of Copa Airlines in the last 50 years. An investigation later determined that the flight crashed due to faulty instrument readings.
The aircraft
The plane involved in the accident was a 12 year-old Boeing 737-204 Advanced with engines JT8D-15 of the american engine manufacturer Pratt & WhitneyPratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney is a U.S.-based aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation . Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation and military aviation. Its headquarters are in East Hartford, Connecticut, USA...
, which it was delivered by Boeing in February 18, 1980, for the now defunct british company Brittania Airways with the nickname of "Jean Baton" and the tail number as G-BGYL. They remained with the jet for 12 years, until April 17, 1992, when it was leased to the Panama´s flag carrier, Copa Airlines
Copa Airlines
Compañía Panameña de Aviación, S.A., operating as Copa Airlines ', is an airline based in Panama City, Panama, and serves as Panama's flag carrier...
, with the tail number as HP-1205 and the Copa´s billboard livery (1990-1999) just one month and a half before the accident.
Story
On the night of June 6, 1992, the aircraft took off from Tocumen International AirportTocumen International Airport
Tocumen International Airport is an international airport located from Panama City, Panama. In 2006, it underwent a major expansion and renovation program in order to modernize and improve its facilities...
in Panama City for a flight to Cali
Calì
Calì, also written in English as Cali, is an Italian surname, widespread mainly in the Ionian side of Sicily.For the surname Calì is assumed the origin of the Greek word kalos , or from its Sanskrit root kali, "time."The surname refers to:...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
with 40 passengers and 7 crew. Among its passengers were Colombian merchants conducting business in Panama. Because of severe tropical storms, the pilot requested permission from Tocumen air traffic control to fly a different route, taking the plane over Darién Province
Darién Province
Darién is a province in eastern Panama. It is also the largest province in Panama. It is hot, humid, heavily forested, and sparsely populated, having 48,378 habitants...
. A few minutes later, the pilot radioed Tocumen air traffic control again, announcing his intention to return to his original route.
Just seconds after the call to Tocumen air traffic control and passing the thunderstorms that were falling in the original route, flight 201 entered into a steep dive of an angle of 100 degrees to the right side and rolled uncontrolable to the ground, until it passed the speed of sound and as a consequence, the plane passed the speed limit to hold itself. The pilots tried to level up the aircraft as a desperate and heroic try to save the plane, but it crashed in a jungle area of the Darien Gap at the speed of 400 knots (460 miles per hour), killing all 47 passengers on board instantly.
Two minutes after this call, Tocumen air traffic control radioed again flight 201 but with no answers from the aircraft. Seconds later, the Tocumen ATC had realized that the contact was lost and declared a emergency. At dawn the next day, search aircraft were sent to Flight 201's last known position. After 8 hours, searchers spotted the first piece of wreckage of the aircraft in the jungle of the Darien Gap. Because of the remote area and the difficult access where the crash occurred, it took rescue personnel 12 hours to reach the site itself, and after they reached the crash site, the investigations begun to find the causes of the crash of the 737.
Investigation
The cockpit voice recorderCockpit 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...
was recovered and flown to Panama City, then flown to the United States for analysis by the NTSB. However, NTSB analysts discovered that the tape was broken due to a maintenance error in the aircraft. Crash investigators had better luck with the 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...
, which showed the plane was in a high-speed dive before it broke up. The trouble was later traced to a faulty wiring harness (cable) to the artificial horizon and attitude indicating instruments, which when failed caused the indicator to mislead the pilot into thinking he was going left, prompting him to bank to the right, that eventually rolled the aircraft and caused it to go into a steep dive, with no chance of recovery.
A special team consisting of personnel from Copa Holdings, Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
, Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney is a U.S.-based aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation . Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation and military aviation. Its headquarters are in East Hartford, Connecticut, USA...
and the NTSB worked together with Panamanian authorities on the investigation, which lasted for one year.
Media coverage
A year after the crash, the story of the crash of Flight 201 and its investigation was featured on the PBS program NOVANOVA (TV series)
Nova is a popular science television series from the U.S. produced by WGBH Boston. It can be seen on the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States, and in more than 100 other countries...
.
It was Nova episode 389, originally aired on 30 November 1993 and repeated several times since.