Monrovia - Freetown
Flight / Schedule
Monrovia - Freetown
Aircraft
Britten-Norman IslanderRegistration
9L-LAV
MSN
767
Year of Manufacture
1974
Operator
Weasua Air TransportDate
November 7, 1989 at 12:00 AM
Type
CRASHFlight Type
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Flight Phase
Takeoff (climb)
Crash Site
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Crash Location
Monrovia-James Spriggs Payne Montserrado
Region
Africa • Liberia
Crash Cause
Technical failure
Narrative Report
On November 7, 1989 at 12:00 AM, Monrovia - Freetown experienced a crash involving Britten-Norman Islander, operated by Weasua Air Transport, with the event recorded near Monrovia-James Spriggs Payne Montserrado.
The flight was categorized as scheduled revenue flight 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, 2 fatalities were recorded, 8 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 20.0%.
Crew on board: 1, crew fatalities: 1, passengers on board: 9, passenger fatalities: 1, other fatalities: 0.
The listed crash cause is technical failure. The twin engine aircraft departed Monrovia-James Spriggs Payne Airport on a schedule flight to Freetown-Lungi Airport, carrying nine passengers and one pilot. After takeoff, while in initial climb, the pilot informed ATC about an engine failure and elected to return for an emergency landing. When he realized he could not make it, he attempted to land in an open field. Upon landing, the aircraft lost its undercarriage and crashed. The pilot and one passenger were killed while eight other occupants were injured.
Aircraft reference details include registration 9L-LAV, MSN 767, year of manufacture 1974.
Fatalities
Total
2
Crew
1
Passengers
1
Other
0
Crash Summary
The twin engine aircraft departed Monrovia-James Spriggs Payne Airport on a schedule flight to Freetown-Lungi Airport, carrying nine passengers and one pilot. After takeoff, while in initial climb, the pilot informed ATC about an engine failure and elected to return for an emergency landing. When he realized he could not make it, he attempted to land in an open field. Upon landing, the aircraft lost its undercarriage and crashed. The pilot and one passenger were killed while eight other occupants were injured.
Cause: Technical failure
Occupants & Outcome
Crew On Board
1
Passengers On Board
9
Estimated Survivors
8
Fatality Rate
20.0%
Known people on board: 10
Operational Details
Schedule / Flight
Monrovia - Freetown
Operator
Weasua Air TransportFlight Type
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Flight Phase
Takeoff (climb)
Crash Site
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Region / Country
Africa • Liberia
Aircraft Details
Similar Plane Crashes
United States Army Air Forces - USAAF
Boeing B-29 Superfortress
The crew was performing a ferry flight from the US to India when flying off the Liberian coast, the pilot was forced to ditch the aircraft due to a fuel exhaustion. The four engine aircraft came to rest off Greenville coast and was lost. All crew members were rescued.
Pan American World Airways - PAA
Lockheed L-049 Constellation
Pan American's Flight 151 departed Johannesburg at 0812, June 21, and after a routine flight and scheduled stop at Léopoldville, Belgian Congo, arrived at Accra, Gold Coast, at 2125. Following a mechanical delay which required the changing of several spark plugs and a set of magneto points, the flight was dispatched and cleared to Roberts Field, Monrovia, on an instrument flight plan at 16,500 feet with Dakar, French West Africa, and Accra as alternates Take-off from Accra was at 2352Z. The gross weight at departure was 89,255 pounds, including cargo, mail, 3,340 gallons of fuel, 31 passengers, and a crew of nine. The gross weight of the aircraft and distribution of the disposable load were within the allowable limits. The en route communication system of the flight sector between Accra and Roberts Field is high frequency radio-telephone utilizing ground stations at Accra and Roberts Field as primary guarding stations Normal communication with these two stations was maintained as Flight 151 progressed westward after departing Accra. The flight proceeded in a routine manner, climbing to 16,500 feet MSL in accordance with the flight plan. At 0057 a position report was given over Abidjan, 258 miles west of Accra, and arrival over Cape Palmas, Liberia, 265 miles farther to the west, was estimated as 0156. At 0156 Flight 151 reported over Cape Palmas at 16,500 feet MSL, on instruments, and estimated arrival at Roberts Field as 0246. (A plantation employee in the Cape Palmas area stated that he beard an airplane inland and very high at approximately 0220, that the moon was bright and the sky was clear at the time. Since no other aircraft was known to have been in the area, this is presumed to have been Flight 151). At 0220 Flight 151 requested clearance to descend. Roberts Field radio cleared the flight to descend to 3,000 feet and advised that at 0225 the Roberts Field tower would establish contact on VHF A clear two-way contact was made at 0225 on 118.1 mcs, at which time the tower gave the flight the local weather and altimeter set-ting, cleared it to descend IFR over Roberts Range Station, and indicated that Runway 05 was in use. At 0237 Flight 151 was again given local weather for Roberts Field cloud base estimated 1,000 feet, broken, light drizzle and haze, visibility 3 miles. At 0241 the local wind was given as W-WNW variable 7 miles per hour All of these messages were acknowledged. At 0255, nine minutes after its ETA at Roberts, Flight 151 was heard calling Roberts Field on VHF 118.1 mcs. The tower responded, repeating the call three times. There was no indication that the aircraft heard the tower, whereupon the tower switched to 3270 kcs and requested the flight to give its current position. There was no reply to this call. Immediately following failure of the aircraft to respond to Roberts tower on 3270 kcs, the Roberts Field high frequency radio-telephone facility established contact advising the flight that they were unable to read it on 118.1 mcs and that the flight should reply to the tower's call on 3270 kcs. This message was acknowledged at 0301. At 0305 the flight again contacted Roberts tower on 3270 kcs advising that the Dakar radio beacon was interfering with the Roberts Field radio beacon and that they would "be back in 15 minutes" Roberts tower advised Flight 151 that Dakar would be requested to turn off the beacon and this message was acknowledged (Because of incoming traffic to Dakar, the beacon there was not turned off until 0410) At 0315 Flight 151 again called Roberts tower on 3270 kcs and the latter transmitted the latest weather. The flight did not acknowledge this transmission on 3270 kcs but called Roberts tower on 118.1 mcs Roberts tower then replied on 118 1 mcs but received no acknowledgement. Thereafter, the tower repeatedly called Flight 151 on both 118.1 mcs and 3270 kcs, requesting the aircraft's position and broadcasting the weather However, the incomplete contact at 0315 was the last transmission received from the flight. The wreckage was found a day later near the village of Sanoyie, about 91 km northeast of Monrovia-Roberts Airport. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and all 40 occupants have been killed.
Maryland Flying Services
Koolhoven FK.50
Crashed shortly after takeoff from Monrovia Airport for unknown reason. The twin engine aircraft built in 1935 was enroute to Bassa, carrying three crew and various goods for the market. On board was one French citizen, one Swiss and one Guinean.
Ostermans Aero
Dornier DO.28A/B
On touchdown at Nimba-Lambco Airfield, the twin engine airplane went out of control, veered off runway and came to rest. There were no injuries but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Major %26 White
Beechcraft C-45 Expeditor
Crashed in unknown circumstances. Occupant's fate remains unclear.
Britten-Norman
Britten-Norman Islander
The prototype aircraft, after having carried out several demonstration flights in Germany, was on its way back to England. It took off from Emden, Germany, at 1137 hrs local time on a non-scheduled international VFR flight to Southampton, England, with the pilot and one passenger. Two minutes after take-off the aircraft made radio contact with Eelde and at 1150 hrs informed Eelde that it was "abeam Eelde VOR" and flying at 1 500 ft VMC on top of cloud. At this position the aircraft could not have had any visual ground contact. At 1156 hrs the aircraft asked Amsterdam Flight Information Service for radar assistance in order to pass through Schiphol Control Zone but was informed it was not possible because positive radar contact could not be established. At 1209 hrs the aircraft was advised to divert to Eelde because weather conditions in the Schiphol Control Zone precluded VFR flight through the zone at 1500 ft. On receipt of this information the pilot informed Amsterdam that he would proceed according to his flight plan. At 1220 hrs when flying at 1 500 ft the pilot informed Schiphol that he would clear Schiphol Control Zone to the west. This was after the controller had positively instructed him to remain clear of the Control Zone and that it was impossible to pass through the zone at 1 500 ft under VFR. Reconstruction of the aircraft's flight path showed that at about 1225 hrs it deviated from its route and cleared the Schiphol area on a heading of about 040°. Shortly afterwards, at 1234 hrs the pilot reported he vas experiencing "serious compass trouble1' and asked for a "steer" but Amsterdam still had no radar contact with the aircraft. According to eyewitnesses, the aircraft was, at about this time, flying at a very low height around the vicinity of the village of Rijs, returning to or passing over the same area several times. It was also established from these witnesses that the weather conditions were such i.e. fog and rain, that the pilot would not have had adequate visual reference. At 1240 hrs the pilot reported "some compass trouble" and again requested radar guidance but radar contact had still not been established. Flight at low altitude was apparently discontinued at about 1247 hrs and at 1249 hrs the pilot reported at 3 000 ft in IMC and that he had a serious instrument failure. Schiphol Control instructed him to maintain FL 30 (3 000 ft) and a heading of 200'. Contrary to this instruction, the pilot reported at 1251 hrs as being at FL 50 and at 1254 hrs at 6 000 ft. At 1255 hrs the controller asked if the aircraft was circling, the pilot replied in the affirmative and said "I think I am going around it". The controller acknowledged this transmission and remarked that he thought the aircraft should be heading 200°; the pilot then replied "I cannot maintain a heading". At that moment the aircraft was positively identified on the radar screen. Replying to the radar controller's instruction to fly specific headings and to make a left-hand turn the pilot said he could not maintain a heading and that right hand turns were easier to mase. At 1258 hrs the pilot requested the height of cloud tops and inquired if there were any clear layers in which he could find visual flight conditions. At his request he was cleared to climb to FL 80; however, a German military aircraft which had recently flown over Spijkerboor at PL 100 reported that it had been "fully IMC" there. At 1301 hrs the pilot reported at 8 700 ft and "climbing as fast as I can, I want to pet out on top"; this was the last recognizable transmission heard by Schiphol. The aircraft was observed on the radar screen until about 1309 hrs at which time radar contact was lost. According to the radar controller the indications observed on the screen for the last 10 to 12 minutes indicated that the aircraft made a series of random small radius right and left-hand turns. At 1310 hrs witnesses near Ringwiel lake saw parts of an aircraft falling, most of it into the lake; these were later identified as parts of the subject aircraft. Calculations and evidence suggested that the aircraft climbed to an altitude above 10 000 ft where it would have encountered severe icing and would have reached a region of moderate to severe turbulence. The time of impact was estimated to be approximately 1310 hrs. The aircraft was totally destroyed and both occupants were killed.