Dan-Air Flight 1008
Encyclopedia
Dan-Air Flight 1008 was a Boeing 727-46 (registration G-BDAN) that crashed on the 25 April 1980 while on approach to Tenerife North Airport, Canary Islands, Spain, at the end of a charter flight from Manchester. The aircraft flew into high terrain when it turned the wrong way in a holding pattern. The aircraft was destroyed and all 146 occupants killed. Dan-Air Flight 1008 marked the greatest loss of life in an accident to a British-registered aircraft.
to Tenerife North Airport. The flight was 14 nautical miles (25.9 km) from VOR/DME beacon 'TFN' when it was cleared onward to radio beacon 'FP' for an approach to Runway 12 after it had reached 'TFN'. Initially at Flight Level 110, Dan-Air 1008 was then cleared to descend to Flight Level 60. The crew reported overhead 'TFN' and was requested to join a non-standard holding pattern over the 'FP' beacon. This holding pattern was not a published procedure and the crew did not have a chart for it, but the instruction was accepted. The aircraft did not pass over 'FP' but flew to the South of the beacon and called entering the hold. About a minute later they were cleared to descend to 8000 feet (2,438.4 m).
Although the commander had said he was entering the hold according to the Spanish air traffic controllers' instructions, he turned the aircraft to the left towards the southeast into an area of high ground - the minimum safe altitude was 14500 feet (4,419.6 m). The aircraft descended towards 5000 feet (1,524 m) and the Ground Proximity Warning System
operated, the crew reacted quickly and initiated a climb. With the engines on full power the aircraft entered a steep turn to the right and struck the mountain. The aircraft was flying in clouds when it struck the mountain. The aircraft disintegrated with the debris spread over a wide area and the 146 on board died instantly.
with line number 288 and registered G-BDAN
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Accident
Flight 1008 was a charter flight from Manchester Airport, United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to Tenerife North Airport. The flight was 14 nautical miles (25.9 km) from VOR/DME beacon 'TFN' when it was cleared onward to radio beacon 'FP' for an approach to Runway 12 after it had reached 'TFN'. Initially at Flight Level 110, Dan-Air 1008 was then cleared to descend to Flight Level 60. The crew reported overhead 'TFN' and was requested to join a non-standard holding pattern over the 'FP' beacon. This holding pattern was not a published procedure and the crew did not have a chart for it, but the instruction was accepted. The aircraft did not pass over 'FP' but flew to the South of the beacon and called entering the hold. About a minute later they were cleared to descend to 8000 feet (2,438.4 m).
Although the commander had said he was entering the hold according to the Spanish air traffic controllers' instructions, he turned the aircraft to the left towards the southeast into an area of high ground - the minimum safe altitude was 14500 feet (4,419.6 m). The aircraft descended towards 5000 feet (1,524 m) and the Ground Proximity Warning System
Ground Proximity Warning System
A ground proximity warning system is a system designed to alert pilots if their aircraft is in immediate danger of flying into the ground or an obstacle. The United States Federal Aviation Administration defines GPWS as a type of terrain awareness warning system...
operated, the crew reacted quickly and initiated a climb. With the engines on full power the aircraft entered a steep turn to the right and struck the mountain. The aircraft was flying in clouds when it struck the mountain. The aircraft disintegrated with the debris spread over a wide area and the 146 on board died instantly.
Investigation
The official investigation concluded that the cause of the accident was that the aircraft commander, without taking account of the altitude at which he was flying, took the aircraft into an area of high terrain and thereby failed to maintain a safe height above the terrain. However, a British addendum to the report further concludes that tardy and ambiguous directions from air traffic control regarding the unpublished hold directly contributed to the disorientation of the aircraft commander. The addendum also finds that the unpublished track onto which the aircraft was directed incorporated tight turns that were practically unflyable, making entry into the region of high ground inevitable for an aircraft flying this track, even without the navigational errors made by Dan-Air 1008. Further, the addendum finds that the directed altitude of 5000 feet (1,524 m) was inadequate for this holding pattern, and that had a minimum safe altitude calculation been performed ahead of time by a competent authority, the minimum altitude for entry into the holding pattern would have been 8000 feet (2,438.4 m), and the minimum altitude for the pattern itself 7000 feet (2,133.6 m). The addendum concludes that had the aircraft not been cleared below 7000 feet (2,133.6 m), the accident would not have occurred.Aircraft
The aircraft was a 1966 built Boeing 727-46Boeing 727
The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner, manufactured by Boeing. The Boeing 727 first flew in 1963, and for over a decade more were built per year than any other jet airliner. When production ended in 1984 a total of 1,832 aircraft had been produced...
with line number 288 and registered G-BDAN
Aircraft registration
An aircraft registration is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies a civil aircraft, in similar fashion to a licence plate on an automobile...
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