Air Rhodesia Flight RH825
Encyclopedia
Air Rhodesia
Flight 825 was a scheduled flight from Kariba
, Rhodesia
to Salisbury
, Rhodesia that was shot down on September 3, 1978 by ZIPRA
guerrillas using a Strela 2
missile
aircraft named The Hunyani was operating a scheduled service between Kariba
and Salisbury
. Five minutes after taking off from Kariba, passengers heard a loud bang from one of the starboard engines. At 17:10 the commander, Captain John Hood, sent a distress call to air traffic control
informing them that he had lost both starboard engines, and was going to crash. The explosion ruptured fuel and pressurized hydraulic lines, causing a fire that could not be extinguished.
Captain Hood managed to maintain control of the aircraft as it descended, and aimed it for a cotton field in the bush, west of Karoi
in the Whamira Hills. The pilots attempted to belly-land
the aircraft and told the passengers to brace for impact; seconds later, the fuselage and wings started scraping against the tops of trees. The landing initially looked like it would succeed, but a 4 metres (13.1 ft) wide donga
that crossed the field caused the plane to pitch over and burst into flame.
Eighteen of the fifty-six passengers survived the crash, with most of these having been seated in the rear. Five of the survivors went to a local village to ask for water. However upon returning, they heard African voices and automatic gunfire - ZIPRA guerrillas killed 10 of the survivors before looting the aircraft.
Sunset was at 17:47 and by 18:33 (80 minutes after the attack) pitch darkness had set in. This allowed three crash survivors who initially remained at the aircraft to avoid being killed by running away and hiding in the bush but prevented rescue parties from arriving until the following morning.
Joshua Nkomo
said in a BBC
interview that his guerrillas had shot the aircraft down, saying that it was being used for military purposes, but denied killing the survivors. Five days after the disaster, the Rhodesian government confirmed that the plane had been shot down by a Strela 2
missile.
and Salisbury
that was shot down on 12 February 1979 by ZIPRA
guerrillas using a Strela 2
missile in similar circumstances to Air Rhodesia Flight 825. The aircraft turned into a fireball in the sky and crashed into a ravine. All 59 aboard were killed.
Air Rhodesia
Air Rhodesia was the national airline of Rhodesia. Its head office was located on the property of Salisbury Airport in Salisbury.It was originally formed as a subsidiary of Central African Airways in June 1964, but became an independent corporation on September 1, 1967. Air Rhodesia flew internal...
Flight 825 was a scheduled flight from Kariba
Kariba, Zimbabwe
Kariba is a town in Mashonaland West province, Zimbabwe, located close to the Kariba Dam at the northwestern end of Lake Kariba, near the Zambian border. According to the 1992 Population Census, the town had a population of 20,736....
, Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
to Salisbury
Harare
Harare before 1982 known as Salisbury) is the largest city and capital of Zimbabwe. It has an estimated population of 1,600,000, with 2,800,000 in its metropolitan area . Administratively, Harare is an independent city equivalent to a province. It is Zimbabwe's largest city and its...
, Rhodesia that was shot down on September 3, 1978 by ZIPRA
ZIPRA
Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army was the armed wing of the Zimbabwe African People's Union, a political party in Rhodesia. It participated in the Second Chimurenga against white minority rule in the former Rhodesia....
guerrillas using a Strela 2
Strela 2
The 9K32 “Strela-2” is a man-portable, shoulder-fired, low-altitude surface-to-air missile system with a high explosive warhead and passive infrared homing guidance...
missile
Incident
The Vickers ViscountVickers Viscount
The Vickers Viscount was a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs, making it the first such aircraft to enter service in the world...
aircraft named The Hunyani was operating a scheduled service between Kariba
Kariba
Kariba is a town in Mashonaland West province, Zimbabwe, located close to the Kariba Dam at the northwestern end of Lake Kariba, near the Zambian border. According to the 1992 Population Census, the town had a population of 20,736....
and Salisbury
Harare
Harare before 1982 known as Salisbury) is the largest city and capital of Zimbabwe. It has an estimated population of 1,600,000, with 2,800,000 in its metropolitan area . Administratively, Harare is an independent city equivalent to a province. It is Zimbabwe's largest city and its...
. Five minutes after taking off from Kariba, passengers heard a loud bang from one of the starboard engines. At 17:10 the commander, Captain John Hood, sent a distress call to air traffic control
Air traffic control
Air traffic control is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and in the air. The primary purpose of ATC systems worldwide is to separate aircraft to prevent collisions, to organize and expedite the flow of traffic, and to provide information and other...
informing them that he had lost both starboard engines, and was going to crash. The explosion ruptured fuel and pressurized hydraulic lines, causing a fire that could not be extinguished.
Captain Hood managed to maintain control of the aircraft as it descended, and aimed it for a cotton field in the bush, west of Karoi
Karoi
Karoi is both a town and a district in Mashonaland West province, Zimbabwe. Karoi town is located approximately 200 km North West of Harare along the main road from Harare to Kariba and Chirundu. Karoi town is situated in a farming area. The population of Karoi town in the 1992 census was 14,763...
in the Whamira Hills. The pilots attempted to belly-land
Belly landing
A belly landing or gear-up landing occurs when an aircraft lands without its landing gear fully extended and uses its underside, or belly, as its primary landing device...
the aircraft and told the passengers to brace for impact; seconds later, the fuselage and wings started scraping against the tops of trees. The landing initially looked like it would succeed, but a 4 metres (13.1 ft) wide donga
Donga (ditch)
In Afrikaans and Zulu, a Donga is a ditch formed by the erosion of soil. The word means "bank, side of a gully" in Zulu.They were extensively used by both sides during the Boer Wars as serendipitous defensive positions. Though present during this period, Dongas have become increasingly prevalent...
that crossed the field caused the plane to pitch over and burst into flame.
Eighteen of the fifty-six passengers survived the crash, with most of these having been seated in the rear. Five of the survivors went to a local village to ask for water. However upon returning, they heard African voices and automatic gunfire - ZIPRA guerrillas killed 10 of the survivors before looting the aircraft.
Sunset was at 17:47 and by 18:33 (80 minutes after the attack) pitch darkness had set in. This allowed three crash survivors who initially remained at the aircraft to avoid being killed by running away and hiding in the bush but prevented rescue parties from arriving until the following morning.
Joshua Nkomo
Joshua Nkomo
Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo was the leader and founder of the Zimbabwe African People's Union and a member of the Kalanga tribe...
said in a BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
interview that his guerrillas had shot the aircraft down, saying that it was being used for military purposes, but denied killing the survivors. Five days after the disaster, the Rhodesian government confirmed that the plane had been shot down by a Strela 2
Strela 2
The 9K32 “Strela-2” is a man-portable, shoulder-fired, low-altitude surface-to-air missile system with a high explosive warhead and passive infrared homing guidance...
missile.
Air Rhodesia Flight RH827
Air Rhodesia Flight RH827, Umniati, was another scheduled flight between KaribaKariba
Kariba is a town in Mashonaland West province, Zimbabwe, located close to the Kariba Dam at the northwestern end of Lake Kariba, near the Zambian border. According to the 1992 Population Census, the town had a population of 20,736....
and Salisbury
Harare
Harare before 1982 known as Salisbury) is the largest city and capital of Zimbabwe. It has an estimated population of 1,600,000, with 2,800,000 in its metropolitan area . Administratively, Harare is an independent city equivalent to a province. It is Zimbabwe's largest city and its...
that was shot down on 12 February 1979 by ZIPRA
ZIPRA
Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army was the armed wing of the Zimbabwe African People's Union, a political party in Rhodesia. It participated in the Second Chimurenga against white minority rule in the former Rhodesia....
guerrillas using a Strela 2
Strela 2
The 9K32 “Strela-2” is a man-portable, shoulder-fired, low-altitude surface-to-air missile system with a high explosive warhead and passive infrared homing guidance...
missile in similar circumstances to Air Rhodesia Flight 825. The aircraft turned into a fireball in the sky and crashed into a ravine. All 59 aboard were killed.