Martinair Flight 138
Encyclopedia
Martinair Flight 138 was a chartered flight from Surabaya
, Indonesia
to Colombo
, Sri Lanka
. The aircraft was operated on behalf of Garuda Indonesia
. On December 4, 1974, the aircraft crashed into a mountain shortly before landing, killing all aboard – 182 Indonesian hajj
pilgrims bound for Mecca
, and 9 crew members.
The Douglas DC8 is said to have departed Surabaya, Indonesia at approximately 12.03 UTC heading to Jeddah planning a stop at Bandaranayake airport, Colombo, Sri Lanka. At around 16.30 UTC Colombo control cleared the flight. At 16.38 UTC another air traffic controller is said to have intervened and cleared the flight down to 5000 feet and reported clearing to 8000 feet. Colombo approach then cleared the flight down to 2000 feet at 16.44 and told the flight to expect a runway 04 approach. The crew aboard the flight were then asked to report when the air field was in sight. The crew then continued their descent until the plane finally crashed into "Saptha Kanya" Mountain at an altitude of approximately 4,355 feet and at around 40 nm east of Colombo. This air crash caused a 191 fatalities, 182 passengers and 9 crew members. This crash remains as the worst disaster in Sri Lankan aviation history.
, Colombo.
Repeated attempts to make contact with the air craft from approach control met with no success and in consultation with Colombo area control the distress phase was initiated, search and rescue operations began subsequently. The state registry of the aircraft namely the Netherlands and the country of manufacture namely the United States of America were informed. Indonesia was also informed of the accident as many of the passengers were nationals of that country.
The passengers waiting for the flight to arrive at the airport were paid in order to ease the medias take on this particular story.
There were some early reports that a collision of a small plane had been involved in the crash. This apparently resulted from the discovery of small aircraft parts among the wreckage at the crash site. The transport minister of the Netherlands at the time was the target of large spread media form all over the world as reports uncovered a large blade of a propeller that belonged to the Douglas DC-8
The crash of flight 138 brought criticism from the media, because it was the largest recored aviation accident in history at the time, totaling 191 fatalities.
In addition, a tire which was recovered from the crash site has been put to display to the public. The tire even though
displayed in public, remains a property of the Norton Bridge Police.
Surabaya
Surabaya is Indonesia's second-largest city with a population of over 2.7 million , and the capital of the province of East Java...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
to Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. The aircraft was operated on behalf of Garuda Indonesia
Garuda Indonesia
PT Garuda Indonesia Tbk , publicly known as Garuda Indonesia, is the flag carrier of Indonesia. It is named after the mystical giant bird Garuda of Hinduism and Buddhist mythology. It is headquartered at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, near Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia...
. On December 4, 1974, the aircraft crashed into a mountain shortly before landing, killing all aboard – 182 Indonesian hajj
Hajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
pilgrims bound for Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
, and 9 crew members.
The Douglas DC8 is said to have departed Surabaya, Indonesia at approximately 12.03 UTC heading to Jeddah planning a stop at Bandaranayake airport, Colombo, Sri Lanka. At around 16.30 UTC Colombo control cleared the flight. At 16.38 UTC another air traffic controller is said to have intervened and cleared the flight down to 5000 feet and reported clearing to 8000 feet. Colombo approach then cleared the flight down to 2000 feet at 16.44 and told the flight to expect a runway 04 approach. The crew aboard the flight were then asked to report when the air field was in sight. The crew then continued their descent until the plane finally crashed into "Saptha Kanya" Mountain at an altitude of approximately 4,355 feet and at around 40 nm east of Colombo. This air crash caused a 191 fatalities, 182 passengers and 9 crew members. This crash remains as the worst disaster in Sri Lankan aviation history.
Information
The flight was a McDonnell Douglas DC-8 which carried the registration PH-MBH built in 1966. It was fitted with Pratt and Whitney engines which were modified by KLM. The flight was owned by a Dutch company: Martinair.Crew on Board
The pilot that flew the aircraft on the day it crashed was Hendrik Lamme with assistance from his co-pilot Robert Blomsma and the engineer on board Johannes Wijinands.Location
The air craft is said to have crashed on the fifth mountain of a range of hills known as "Saptha Kanya" at Therberton estate, Maskeliya, Sri Lanka. It crashed at around 40 nautical miles from Bandaranaike International AirportBandaranaike International Airport
Bandaranaike International Airport is Sri Lanka's only international airport at the moment. Mattala International Airport, when it gets built will be the second International Airport of Sri Lanka. It is located in Katunayake, north of Colombo...
, Colombo.
Cause
Investigators listed the cause of the accident to be a "collision with rising terrain as the crew descended the aircraft below safe altitude owing to incorrect identification of their position vis-a-vis the airport. The investigation is of the opinion that this was the result of dependence on Doppler and Weather Radar Systems on board PH-MBH which left room for misinterpretation." Later on the probable cause was traced down to a deficiency in the manufacture of the air craft.Events Leading to the Accident
The aircraft took off from Surabaya International airport Indonesia at approximately 1200 hours on the 4th of December, 1974 to proceed to Jeddah, Saudi-Arabia with a programmed stop at Bandaranayake International airport, Colombo. The aircraft contacted Bandaranayake approach control at around 1616 hours indicating that they were 130 miles away and so approach cleared the weather and requested the aircraft to change over to Colombo area control for a decent clearance. The aircraft was then descended from 35,000 feet and handed back over to approach control. Approach control then cleared the aircraft down to 2000 feet and were required to report back if they sight the air field or if they spot the "Katunayake Non-Directional Beacon." This message was acknowledged by the air craft and there was no further communication with the air craft. Eyewitnesses state that the plane was flying at a level below normal and there was no evidence of a fire on board and to all the engine sounded normal with no malfunction. The sound of the aircraft exploding on impact was heard clearly by residents close to the site of the crash.Later it was discovered that the aircraft had crashed into the fifth mountain.Repeated attempts to make contact with the air craft from approach control met with no success and in consultation with Colombo area control the distress phase was initiated, search and rescue operations began subsequently. The state registry of the aircraft namely the Netherlands and the country of manufacture namely the United States of America were informed. Indonesia was also informed of the accident as many of the passengers were nationals of that country.
Media's Reaction
The disaster and investigation received widespread coverage in the media, assisted by new news gathering technologies. The impact on the public was increased by the dramatic effect of amateur photos taken of the accident, which were published later on.The passengers waiting for the flight to arrive at the airport were paid in order to ease the medias take on this particular story.
There were some early reports that a collision of a small plane had been involved in the crash. This apparently resulted from the discovery of small aircraft parts among the wreckage at the crash site. The transport minister of the Netherlands at the time was the target of large spread media form all over the world as reports uncovered a large blade of a propeller that belonged to the Douglas DC-8
The crash of flight 138 brought criticism from the media, because it was the largest recored aviation accident in history at the time, totaling 191 fatalities.
Memorial
A small memorial has been built in the town of Norton Bridge which is several miles from the crash site.In addition, a tire which was recovered from the crash site has been put to display to the public. The tire even though
displayed in public, remains a property of the Norton Bridge Police.