Luanda - Lusaka
Flight / Schedule
Luanda - Lusaka
Aircraft
Ilyushin II-18Registration
DM-STL
MSN
186 0094 02
Year of Manufacture
1966
Operator
InterflugDate
March 26, 1979 at 12:00 AM
Type
CRASHFlight Type
Cargo
Flight Phase
Takeoff (climb)
Crash Site
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Crash Location
Luanda-4 de Fevereiro Luanda
Region
Africa • Angola
Coordinates
-8.8100°, 13.2361°
Crash Cause
Technical failure
Narrative Report
On March 26, 1979 at 12:00 AM, Luanda - Lusaka experienced a crash involving Ilyushin II-18, operated by Interflug, with the event recorded near Luanda-4 de Fevereiro Luanda.
The flight was categorized as cargo and the reported phase was takeoff (climb) at a airport (less than 10 km from airport) crash site.
10 people were known to be on board, 10 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: 6, passenger fatalities: 6, other fatalities: 0.
The listed crash cause is technical failure. The airplane was dispatched from Berlin to Luanda to transfer a load of weapons and ammunitions to the ZAPU (Zimbabwe African People's Union) militants based in Lusaka, Rhodesia. The cargo arrived from East Germany by boat and was transferred to the airplane. During the takeoff roll on runway 23, at a speed of 268 km/h, the engine n°2 failed. The captain decided to abandon the takeoff procedure and initiated an emergency braking maneuver. Unable to stop within the remaining distance, the aircraft overran, collided with the localizer antenna and crashed in flames. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all 10 occupants were killed. Crew: Dieter Hartmann, pilot, Jochen Wilsdorf, pilot, Horst Umlauft, navigator, Frank-Rolf John, flight engineer.
Aircraft reference details include registration DM-STL, MSN 186 0094 02, year of manufacture 1966.
Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately -8.8100°, 13.2361°.
Fatalities
Total
10
Crew
4
Passengers
6
Other
0
Crash Summary
The airplane was dispatched from Berlin to Luanda to transfer a load of weapons and ammunitions to the ZAPU (Zimbabwe African People's Union) militants based in Lusaka, Rhodesia. The cargo arrived from East Germany by boat and was transferred to the airplane. During the takeoff roll on runway 23, at a speed of 268 km/h, the engine n°2 failed. The captain decided to abandon the takeoff procedure and initiated an emergency braking maneuver. Unable to stop within the remaining distance, the aircraft overran, collided with the localizer antenna and crashed in flames. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all 10 occupants were killed. Crew: Dieter Hartmann, pilot, Jochen Wilsdorf, pilot, Horst Umlauft, navigator, Frank-Rolf John, flight engineer.
Cause: Technical failure
Occupants & Outcome
Crew On Board
4
Passengers On Board
6
Estimated Survivors
0
Fatality Rate
100.0%
Known people on board: 10
Operational Details
Schedule / Flight
Luanda - Lusaka
Operator
InterflugFlight Type
Cargo
Flight Phase
Takeoff (climb)
Crash Site
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Region / Country
Africa • Angola
Aircraft Details
Similar Plane Crashes
DTA Angola Airlines - Direcção dos Transportes Aéreos
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
While starting its descent to Lobito, the aircraft hit the slope of a mountain located in the Bulobulo Mountain Range, about 19 km south of Bocoio. The aircraft was destroyed upon impact and all 12 occupants were killed.
DTA Angola Airlines - Direcção dos Transportes Aéreos
Beechcraft D18
On final approach to Luanda Airport, the twin engine aircraft went out of control and crashed in Estrada de Catete, about 2 km north of the airfield. Both pilots were killed while both passengers were injured.
Private Belgian
De Havilland DH.85 Leopard Moth
Crashed in unknown circumstances.
Soviet Air Force - Voyenno-vozdushnye sily CCCP
Ilyushin II-18
The crew (five engineers and five test pilots) were engaged in a local test flight out from Moscow-Sheremetievo Airport. Few minutes after takeoff, the engine number two failed. As it was not possible to feather the propeller, the airplane lost height and speed. The crew decided to return to Sheremetievo Airport for an emergency landing but on final, the airplane stalled and crashed in flames 4 km short of runway threshold. The airplane was destroyed and all ten occupants were killed. The test flight was performed on behalf of AKDON – Aviatsionnaya Krasnoznamyonnaya Diviziya Osobogo Naznacheniya, a division of the Soviet Army.
Aeroflot - Russian International Airlines
Ilyushin II-18
While cruising at an altitude of 10,000 meters over the region of Voronezh, the airplane penetrated cumulonimbus area and suffered updrafts first. It climbed to 10,700 meters then encountered downdrafts and descended to 7,000 meters. The propellers on both engines number one and four were automatically feathered when new downdrafts were encountered. The airplane descended to the altitude of 2,800 meters when the crew was able to recover control of the airplane. The crew contacted ATC and obtained the permission to return to Vnukovo for an emergency landing. Following an uneventful landing, all 56 occupants (some of them injured) were evacuated and the aircraft was later declared as damaged beyond economical repair due to heavy damage to the structure. Also, it was reported that the chemical liquid stored in the toilet compartment leaked and contacted several electrical system, causing short-circuits. Several connectors were down as well as the VHF communication system.
Aeroflot - Russian International Airlines
Ilyushin II-18
The crew was completing a local training flight at Sverdlovsk-Koltsovo Airport. Following two landings and two approches, the crew started a new approach by night. During the last segment, at a speed of 260 km/h, the aircraft adopted a nose down attitude and struck the runway with its nose gear first that was sheared off upon impact. The airplane bounced and climbed to a height of about 10 meters before hitting the runway again in a nose down attitude. Upon impact, the airplane went out of control and veered off runway to the right before coming to rest in flames. The flight mechanic was killed while all four other occupants were injured. The aircraft was partially destroyed by fire.