Convair CV-880

Latin Carga - Latinamericana Aérea de Carga

The crew was engaged in a local training flight at Caracas-Maiquetía-Simón Bolívar Airport. After liftoff, during initial climb, the airplane lost height and crashed, bursting into flames. All four occupants were killed. It is believed that the loss of control was the consequence of a loss of power on one or more engine.

Inair Panama - Internacional de Aviación

Following an uneventful cargo flight from Miami-Intl Airport, the crew started the descent to Panama City-Tocumen Airport in rain falls. After touchdown on a wet runway, the airplane encountered difficulties to decelerate and was unable to stop within the remaining distance. It overran, lost its undercarriage and came to rest few dozen meters further. All four crew members evacuated safely while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Groth Air

During the takeoff roll, at Vr speed, the captain pulled up the control column but the airplane failed to rotate. Decision to abandon the takeoff procedure was taken and the crew initiated an emergency braking maneuver. Unable to stop within the remaining distance, the airplane overran, lost its nose gear and came to rest 285 feet further. All six occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Monarch Aviation

Two minutes and 20 seconds after takeoff from runway 25 at San José-Juan Santamaria Airport, while in initial climb, the four engine airplane rolled to the right, lost height and crashed in a wooded area located 4 km from the airport. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all three crew members were killed.

Air Trine

The aircraft was engaged in a cargo flight from Miami-Intl to Santo Domingo, carrying three crew members and a load consisting of 37 cows. During the takeoff roll completed by night on runway 09L, the captain decided to abandon the takeoff procedure and started an emergency braking manoeuvre. unable to stop within the remaining distance, the aircraft overran, collided with the localizer antenna located about 1,000 feet past the runway end and eventually came to rest into a ditch. All three crew members were seriously injured and all 37 cows were killed. The aircraft was destroyed.

Orient Pacific Airways

The crew was engaged in a positioning flight to the Paya Lebar AFB in Singapore where 50 employees of an Oil Company should be picked up on a flight to the Middle East. During the takeoff roll, the captain decided to abandon the procedure and initiated an emergency braking manoeuvre. unable to stop within the remaining distance, the airplane overran and lost its nose gear before coming to rest 100 metres further. All nine occupants were evacuated safely while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Delta Airlines

Flight DL954 from Tampa landed uneventfully at Chicago-O'Hare Airport. The crew was cleared to taxi to the gate and to cross runway 27L when the airplane was struck by a North Central Airlines Douglas DC-9-31 registered N954N. En route to Duluth via Madison, the DC-9 was carrying 41 passengers and a crew of four and his pilot just received the clearance to take off from runway 27L. One of the DC-9's wing struck the tail of the Convair that stopped immediately. out of control, the DC-9 veered off runway and came to rest in flames. The Convair was damaged beyond repair and the DC-9 was destroyed by a post crash fire. Among the 93 occupants on board the Convair, 10 were injured. Among the 45 occupants on board the DC-9, 10 were killed and 35 were injured, some of them seriously.

Cathay Pacific Airways

Flight CX700Z was a scheduled international flight from Singapore to Hong Kong with an en-route stop at Bangkok. It made a 55 minute stop at Bangkok during which 68 passengers and baggage were off loaded, and 35 passengers and baggage, in addition to 35 000 lbs of JP-1 fuel, were loaded. The aircraft took off from Bangkok at 0455 hours GMT bound for Hong Kong via airway Green 67 at FL290. The flight proceeded normally with the aircraft maintaining routine radio contact first with Bangkok ACC and from 0542 hours with Saigon ACC. The last message from the aircraft was received at 0554 hours by Saigon ACC giving the aircraft's position at 0553 hours over reporting point "PE5" at FL290, with an estimated time over "XVK" reporting point of 0606 hours. At 0620 hours, when no further messages had been received from the aircraft, Saigon ACC called it several times but received no reply. A request for information concerning the aircraft, made by Saigon ACC at 0640 hours to Hong Kong and then Taipei ACCs, produced negative results. The Distress Phase was initiated at 0715 hours and DETRESFA signalled to Tan Son Nhut RCC for appropriate action. The RCC advised Saigon ACC at 0755 hours that a Convair type aircraft had crashed about 30 NM southeast of Pleiku TACAN beacon. The aircraft was identified as VR-HFZ by two helicopter pilots who reached the accident site soon after the occurrence and while the wreckage was still burning. They recovered two bodies from the burning wreckage and flew them to Pleiku. The aircraft was totally destroyed and none of the 81 occupants survived the crash.

Japan Airlines

Shortly after liftoff, the flight instructor reduced power on engine n°4 to check the trainee’s emergency procedures, and the aircraft began to yaw to the right. This yaw-continued to increase until, at a point approximately 6,500 feet down the runway, the right wing went down and the No. 4 engine pod made contact with the runway. In a severe sideslip to the right, the aircraft slid off the runway and thence in a northerly direction through 2,600 feet of rough terrain, breaking up and bursting into flames before it came to rest on an easterly heading. Four crew members escaped from the burning aircraft through a break in the fuselage, but of these four, only two survived. The body of one trainee was later found in the burned cockpit area. Ground impact and fire after impact almost completely destroyed the airplane.

Trans World Airlines - TWA

Flight 128 was a scheduled domestic flight from Los Angeles International Airport, California, to Boston, Massachusetts, with intermediate stops at Cincinnati, Ohio and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The departure from Los Angeles was delayed due to an equipment change but the aircraft was airworthy at the time of departure. The only carry- over discrepancy was an inoperative generator which had no bearing on this accident. The flight took off from Los Angeles at 1737 hours Eastern Standard Time. The descent into the Cincinnati area from cruising altitude was delayed due to conflicting traffic and was initiated closer to the destination than normal. It required the crew to conduct the descent with a higher than normal rate toward the initial approach fix. The crew discussed the technique they were going to use to increase the rate of descent, and evidence revealed that they were relaxed, unworried and operating within the established operating limits of the aircraft. As the flight reported leaving 15 500 ft remarks were made in the cockpit about the rapidity of the descent and the hope, apparently with reference to the underlying cloud conditions, that it would be a thin layer. The crew checked the anti-icing equipment and conversations after that time indicated that they were not aware of any discrepancies regarding that system. Control of the flight was normal until the flight was turned over to the approach controller who failed to provide the crew with the current altimeter setting of 30.07 in Hg instead of 30.06 previously given to the crew. However, shortly after the crew intercepted a transmission to another aircraft containing the current altimeter setting of 30.07 they set and cross-checked that setting on their altimeters. Throughout the descent, the co-pilot called out the appropriate warnings to the pilot-in-command as the aircraft approached assigned altitudes and apparently performed all of his assigned duties without prompting by the pilot-in-command. Crew coordination was very good during that portion of the flight. The weather conditions in the Cincinnati area were such that the crew should have established visual contact with the ground by the time they reached 3 000 to 4 000 ft. As the flight approached the final fix, approximately 7 minutes before the accident, the crew was given the latest reported weather which indicated that the ceiling was approximately 1 000 ft and the visibility was 13 miles in snow and haze. Approximately 1 minute later they were reminded that the ILS glide slope was out of service, as well as the middle marker beacon and the approach lights. The crew acknowledged receipt of this information and planned their approach to the proper minimum altitude of 1 290 ft AMSL, 400 ft above the ground, to allow for these outages. From this point in the approach to the outer marker, the aircraft altitudes and headings were in general agreement with altitudes reported by the crew and the headings they were instructed to fly. Operation of the aircraft was normal and the proper configuration was established for the approach to the outer marker in accordance with the company's operating instructions. The crew reported over the outer marker at 2056 hours and were cleared to land on runway 18 and advised that the wind was 090°/8 kt and the RVR more than 6 000 ft (see Fig. 22-1). The co-pilot reported to the pilot-in-command that they were past the marker and that there was no glide slope. The pilot-in-command acknowledged this and stated ". . . We gotta go down to, ah, four hundred, that would be, ah." At this point, the co-pilot supplied the information "twelve ninety" and the pilot-in-command repeated "twelve ninety." The flight had arrived at the outer marker with the landing gear down, the flaps set at 40' down at an altitude of approximately 2 340 it and at an airspeed of approximately 200 kt. (The prescribed minimum altitude over the outer marker beacon, 4 miles from the threshold, was 1 973 ft AMSL). After the aircraft passed the outer marker, a rate of descent of 1 800 ft/min was established at an airspeed of about 190 kt. The rate of descent was greater than that recommended by the company for an instrument approach and remained nearly constant until approximately 20 sec before the first recorded sound of impact. At that time the rate increased to approximately 3 000 ft/min coincident with a request for 50° flaps, and a decrease in thrust, and then decreased to about 1 800 ft/min until about 5 sec before the initial contact. Prior to initial contact, the aircraft was rotated to a virtually level attitude, the rate of descent was decreasing, the airspeed was about 191 kt, and the indicated altitude was about 900 ft AMSL. The aircraft first struck small tree limbs at an elevation of approximately 875 ft AMSL, 9 357 it short of the approach end of runway 18 and 429 it right of the extended runway centre line. After several more impacts with trees and the ground, the aircraft came to rest approximately 6 878 it from the runway and 442 ft right of the extended runway centre line and burst into flames. A stewardess who survived the accident stated that the first noticeable impact felt like a hard landing. None of the survivors recalled any increase of engine power or felt any rotation of the aircraft. The accident occurred at 2057 hours during darkness in an area where snow was falling. Five crew members and 65 passengers were killed while 12 other occupants were seriously injured.

Cathay Pacific Airways

Flight CX033 was a scheduled flight from Hong Kong to Bangkok with an additional en-route stop at Saigon to transport a backlog of passengers. A Check captain joined the flight. The co-pilot was flying the aircraft from the left-hand seat whilst the pilot-in-command occupied the right-hand seat to assess his performance. The Check captain occupied the jump seat behind the co-pilot from where he could monitor the performance of both pilots. At 10:31 the aircraft commenced to taxi out for takeoff on runway 13. A wind check of 010/10 kt was passed by the tower and acknowledged by the aircraft when the takeoff clearance was given. At 10:34 a rolling takeoff was commenced. The co-pilot, who was piloting the aircraft, increased the power to 1.5 EPR after which the engineer set the engines at maximum power. The aircraft accelerated normally but at a speed of slightly under 120 kt (as reported by the co-pilot) heavy vibration was experienced. The vibration increased in severity and the co-pilot decided to discontinue the takeoff. He called "abort", closed the power levers, applied maximum symmetrical braking and selected the spoilers. The abort action was stated to have been taken promptly except that there was a delay of 4-5 sec in applying reverse thrust which was then used at full power throughout the remainder of the aircraft's travel. No significant decrease in the rate of acceleration occurred until after an indicated airspeed of 133 kt had been attained, there was then a slow build-up of speed to 137 kt over the next 2 sec after which deceleration commenced. Both pilots were applying full brakes but neither of them felt the antiskid cycling. The aircraft continued to run straight some distance after initial braking was applied but then a veer to the right commenced. Opposite rudder was used but failed to check this forcing the use of differential braking to the extent that eventually the right brake had been eased off completely, whilst maximum left braking, full left rudder, full lateral control to the left, and nose-wheel steering were being applied, These actions were only partly effective and the aircraft eventually left the runway and entered the grass strip. The turn to the right continued until finally the aircraft crossed the seawall. All four engines separated on impact with, the sea, the nose of the aircraft was smashed in and the fuselage above floor level between the flight deck and the leading edge of the wing was fractured in two places. The aircraft spun to the right and came to rest some 400 ft from the seawall. A passenger was killed while 33 other were injured.

Japan Domestic Airlines

JA8030 started a take-off run on runway 33R of Tokyo International Airport under VFR conditions at approximately 1428 hours with the pilot-in-command Manshichi Harano, examinees Yoshiomi Motouchi and Shuji Daikoku, flight engineer Terumitsu Fujimaki, and Chief Examiner of the Civil Aviation Bureau of Ministry of Transport Yukiaki Kawata, on board for the purpose of conducting a practical examination necessary for change in type rating to Convair 880-22M. About the time the aircraft took a nose-up attitude, it began to yaw left and entered into a right side-slip. At approximately 1 500 m from the runway threshold marking, the right main landing gear started to go off the ground, and while the yaw and side-slip further increased, the under-surface of No. 1 engine began to contact the runway at approximately 1 600 m from the marking. The aircraft continued to side-slip with the nose coming down and deviated from the runway at approximately 1 700 m from the marking. The aircraft moved on the lawn area, crossed taxiway C-4, then while proceeding in the direction of approximately 35O left in reference to the runway bearing, moved the heading to approximately 145O left in reference to the runway bearing, thence yawed right and continued the side-slip. Although the aircraft was in a slight nose-up attitude during this period, it went abruptly into a nose-down and almost at that time a fire started near No. 3 engine. During this period the aircraft further proceeded with the left main landing gear, nose landing gear and Nos. 3, 2, 1 and 4 engines separated in this sequence, and came to a stop at a point approximately 2 100 m from runway 33R threshold marking and approximately 200 m from the runway centre line with a heading of 90° in reference to runway 33L. The fire expanded explosively and the aircraft was damaged by fire or burnt except for the aft fuselage, empennage and a portion of the main wings. All five persons on board died. The flight was performed on behalf of Japan Air Lines.

Trans World Airlines - TWA

The crew was completing a local training flight at Kansas City-Mid-Continent Airport, Missouri, consisting of touch and go manoeuvres. During the takeoff roll, when the aircraft reached the speed of 146 knots, the pilot-in-command started the rotation when the airplane banked right to an angle of 25° then struck the runway surface. It went out of control, veered of runway and came to rest in flames. All four crew members were evacuated while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Japan Airlines

Shortly after takeoff from Oita-Iki Airport, while in initial climb at a height of 150 feet, the airplane stalled and crashed. All six occupants were evacuated while the aircraft was destroyed. It appears the takeoff was attempted with one engine voluntarily inoperative. The crew apparently underestimated the aircraft performances and was overconfident.

Delta Airlines

The flight was scheduled for training for two pilots who were to “check out” in the CV-880. A pilot-trainee occupied the left seat and a qualified instructor-pilot occupied the right. Immediately after liftoff the aircraft assumed an extremely nose-high attitude and banked steeply to the left. It then rolled to a vertical right bank, the nose fell through, and the aircraft struck the ground and burned. Four crew members, the only occupants, received fatal injuries.