Lajes - Lajes

On December 11, 1977 at 11:20 AM, Lajes - Lajes experienced a crash involving Lockheed P-3 Orion, operated by United States Navy - USN, with the event recorded near Hierro Island Canary Islands.

The flight was categorized as survey / patrol / reconnaissance and the reported phase was flight at a mountains crash site.

13 people were known to be on board, 13 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 100.0%.

Crew on board: 4, crew fatalities: 4, passengers on board: 9, passenger fatalities: 9, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. The four engine airplane departed Lajes Airport, Azores Islands, at 0836LT on a maritime patrol flight. About two hours later, the crew reported his position and that all went well on board. This was the last radio transmission. At 1120LT, while cruising at an altitude of 2,300 feet in a limited visibility due to foggy conditions, the airplane struck the slope of a mountain (5,200 feet high) at a speed pof 220 knots and crashed. The wreckage was found in a wooded area located near la Frontera, in the center of the island. At the time of the accident, three engines were operating while the engine n°1 was shutdown for loiter.

Aircraft reference details include registration 153428, MSN 185-5225, year of manufacture 1967.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 27.7435°, -18.0382°.