Inex-Adria Aviopromet Flight 1308
Encyclopedia
Inex-Adria Aviopromet
Flight 1308, registration YU-ANA, was a Yugoslavia
n charter flight that crashed on Corsica
's Mt. San Pietro in early December of 1981, killing all 180 people on board. It is the highest death toll of any aviation accident involving a McDonnell Douglas MD-81.
(at the time Yugoslavia
) to Corsica's
capital city of Ajaccio
with 173 Slovenian tourists and 7 crew members. The tourists were on a 1-day trip to Corsica. When Flight 1308 reached the airspace around Ajaccio's Campo dell'Oro Airport, it entered a holding pattern, awaiting clearance to land. The atmosphere in the plane was relaxed, with everybody already thinking of the day of leisure awaiting them on Corsica. At some point, the co-pilot even let his young son enter the cockpit.
While in its holding pattern, the MD-81 was instructed to descend through the minimum holding altitude of 6,800 feet.
Weather was bad, visibility was close to zero and the aircraft was descending into the fog.
As it descended, its Ground Proximity Warning System
gave off several audio warnings, prompting the crew to increase the engine thrust. After some delay, the crew eventually did pull up. Their efforts, however, proved futile, as one of the wings of Flight 1308 collided with the summit of Mt. San Pietro and broke off. The aircraft then went into an uncontrolled dive and violently crashed on the other side of the mountain. All 180 people aboard were killed. The time of the accident was approximately 8 a.m. local time. Rescue operations were initially hampered by the fact that the air traffic control in Ajaccio wrongly believed the crash site to be located over sea.
The investigation determined that the imprecise language used by the crew of the MD-81 and the air traffic controller played a significant role in the accident. Air traffic control in Ajaccio was cleared of all charges. The air traffic controller
in charge of Flight 1308 was transferred to another airport in France.
At the time of the accident, the Ajaccio airport had no radar. As a direct result of the accident, the equipment was upgraded and the approach pattern changed.
(a TV station in Slovenia) did a news report on the accident. They visited the crash site in Corsica
and found many of the airplane's parts still scattered on Mt. San Pietro, in rugged and inaccessible terrain. Subsequently, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, Adria Airways
and Kompas (the Slovenian travel agency
that organized the fatal trip in 1981) organized and funded a clean-up operation. A Slovenian team of about 60 soldiers, mountain rescuers, civil protection and rescue service members, medical personnel, and other volunteers removed about 27 tons of aircraft remains in May 2008. The removed debris included one aircraft engine and large wing parts. Some of the parts were so large they needed to be machine cut before transporting them from the mountain by a helicopter. Several human remains were also found, and were either sent for further identification tests, or properly disposed of. A commemorative plaque was installed at the site of the initial wing impact.
Adria Airways
Adria Airways d.d. is the Slovenian national airline. Today, the majority of Adria Airways business is in scheduled flights. Adria operates to 16 cities throughout Europe this winter and offers excellent connections to South East Europe. It is a Star Alliance member since 2004 and a Lufthansa...
Flight 1308, registration YU-ANA, was a Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
n charter flight that crashed on Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
's Mt. San Pietro in early December of 1981, killing all 180 people on board. It is the highest death toll of any aviation accident involving a McDonnell Douglas MD-81.
Accident
On December 1, 1981, the McDonnell Douglas MD-81 took off from Brnik Airport on a chartered flight from SloveniaSlovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
(at the time Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
) to Corsica's
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
capital city of Ajaccio
Ajaccio
Ajaccio , is a commune on the island of Corsica in France. It is the capital and largest city of the region of Corsica and the prefecture of the department of Corse-du-Sud....
with 173 Slovenian tourists and 7 crew members. The tourists were on a 1-day trip to Corsica. When Flight 1308 reached the airspace around Ajaccio's Campo dell'Oro Airport, it entered a holding pattern, awaiting clearance to land. The atmosphere in the plane was relaxed, with everybody already thinking of the day of leisure awaiting them on Corsica. At some point, the co-pilot even let his young son enter the cockpit.
While in its holding pattern, the MD-81 was instructed to descend through the minimum holding altitude of 6,800 feet.
Weather was bad, visibility was close to zero and the aircraft was descending into the fog.
As it descended, its Ground Proximity Warning System
Ground Proximity Warning System
A ground proximity warning system is a system designed to alert pilots if their aircraft is in immediate danger of flying into the ground or an obstacle. The United States Federal Aviation Administration defines GPWS as a type of terrain awareness warning system...
gave off several audio warnings, prompting the crew to increase the engine thrust. After some delay, the crew eventually did pull up. Their efforts, however, proved futile, as one of the wings of Flight 1308 collided with the summit of Mt. San Pietro and broke off. The aircraft then went into an uncontrolled dive and violently crashed on the other side of the mountain. All 180 people aboard were killed. The time of the accident was approximately 8 a.m. local time. Rescue operations were initially hampered by the fact that the air traffic control in Ajaccio wrongly believed the crash site to be located over sea.
Investigation
The subsequent investigation into the disaster revealed that the control mistakenly believed that Flight 1308 was out of holding pattern. The control believed the aircraft was already located over sea, while in reality it was located some 15 km (9 mi) inland, over mountainous terrain of Corsica. The crew, apparently surprised at the instruction to descend, repeated several times that they were still in the holding pattern, which the control acknowledged. The crew was unfamiliar with the airport and its vicinity, as this was the first flight of Inex-Adria Aviopromet to the island of Corsica.The investigation determined that the imprecise language used by the crew of the MD-81 and the air traffic controller played a significant role in the accident. Air traffic control in Ajaccio was cleared of all charges. The air traffic controller
in charge of Flight 1308 was transferred to another airport in France.
At the time of the accident, the Ajaccio airport had no radar. As a direct result of the accident, the equipment was upgraded and the approach pattern changed.
Clean-up operation in 2008
Some debris and human bodies were removed from the crash site after the accident in 1981. In 2007, POP TVPOP TV
POP TV is a Slovenian commercial television station operated by the multi-media company PRO PLUS d.o.o.It is a TV channel with the highest ratings in Slovenia , and at the same time the most popular and trustworthy...
(a TV station in Slovenia) did a news report on the accident. They visited the crash site in Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
and found many of the airplane's parts still scattered on Mt. San Pietro, in rugged and inaccessible terrain. Subsequently, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, Adria Airways
Adria Airways
Adria Airways d.d. is the Slovenian national airline. Today, the majority of Adria Airways business is in scheduled flights. Adria operates to 16 cities throughout Europe this winter and offers excellent connections to South East Europe. It is a Star Alliance member since 2004 and a Lufthansa...
and Kompas (the Slovenian travel agency
Travel agency
A travel agency is a retail business that sells travel related products and services to customers on behalf of suppliers such as airlines, car rentals, cruise lines, hotels, railways, sightseeing tours and package holidays that combine several products...
that organized the fatal trip in 1981) organized and funded a clean-up operation. A Slovenian team of about 60 soldiers, mountain rescuers, civil protection and rescue service members, medical personnel, and other volunteers removed about 27 tons of aircraft remains in May 2008. The removed debris included one aircraft engine and large wing parts. Some of the parts were so large they needed to be machine cut before transporting them from the mountain by a helicopter. Several human remains were also found, and were either sent for further identification tests, or properly disposed of. A commemorative plaque was installed at the site of the initial wing impact.