South African Airways Flight 228
Encyclopedia
South African Airways
Flight 228 was a scheduled flight from Jan Smuts International Airport in Johannesburg
, South Africa
to London Heathrow International Airport that flew into the ground soon after take-off after a scheduled stopover in Windhoek
, South West Africa
(present day Namibia). Five passengers survived while 123 people died. The subsequent investigation determined that the accident was attributable to pilot error. The accident is the deadliest aviation accident to date in Namibia
.
Pretoria, registration ZS-EUW, on 20 April 1968 from Johannesburg
to Heathrow via Windhoek
, Las Palmas and Frankfurt
.
The first leg of the flight under Captain Eric Ray Smith from Johannesburg to JG Strijdom Airport
, Windhoek, South West Africa
was uneventful. An additional 46 passengers embarked in Windhoek, and some airfreight was unloaded and loaded. The aircraft was only 6 weeks old when it rolled for take-off from Windhoek on runway 08 at 18:49 GMT (20:49 local time). It was a dark, moonless night with few if any lights on the ground east of the runway; the aircraft took off into what was described in the official report as a "black hole". The aircraft initially climbed to an altitude of 650 feet (198.1 m) above ground level, then levelled off after 30 seconds and started to descend. Fifty seconds after take-off, it flew into the ground in flight configuration at a speed of approximately 271 knots (531.1 km/h). The four engines, which were the first parts of the aircraft to touch the ground, created four gouges in the soil before the rest of the aircraft also hit the ground and broke up. Two fires immediately broke out when fuel in the wings ignited. Although the crash site was only 5.327 kilometres (3.3 mi) from the end of the runway, emergency services took 40 minutes to reach the scene because of rugged terrain. Nine passengers who were seated in the forward section of the fuselage initially survived, but two died soon after the accident and another a few days later, leaving a final death toll of 123 passengers and crew.
or cockpit voice recorder
; the devices became mandatory from 1 January 1968, but the airline's inability to procure recorders meant that several SAA aircraft including, ZS-EUW, did not yet have the equipment fitted. Captain Smith had 4,608 flying hours on the Boeing 707, but only one hour on the new type 334C, which furthermore had been under instruction. The official investigation concluded that the aircraft and its four engines were in working order—primary fault lay with the captain and first officer, in that they "failed to maintain a safe airspeed and altitude and a positive climb by not observing flight instruments during take-off." Secondary factors that may have contributed to the accident included:
South African Airways
South African Airways is the national flag carrier and largest airline of South Africa, with headquarters in Airways Park on the grounds of OR Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni, Gauteng. The airline flies to 36 destinations worldwide from its hub at OR Tambo International...
Flight 228 was a scheduled flight from Jan Smuts International Airport in Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
to London Heathrow International Airport that flew into the ground soon after take-off after a scheduled stopover in Windhoek
Windhoek
Windhoek is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level. The 2001 census determined Windhoek's population was 233,529...
, South West Africa
South West Africa
South-West Africa was the name that was used for the modern day Republic of Namibia during the earlier eras when the territory was controlled by the German Empire and later by South Africa....
(present day Namibia). Five passengers survived while 123 people died. The subsequent investigation determined that the accident was attributable to pilot error. The accident is the deadliest aviation accident to date in Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
.
History of the flight
South African Airways Flight 228 was a scheduled flight of the Boeing 707-300CBoeing 707
The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
Pretoria, registration ZS-EUW, on 20 April 1968 from Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
to Heathrow via Windhoek
Windhoek
Windhoek is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level. The 2001 census determined Windhoek's population was 233,529...
, Las Palmas and Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
.
The first leg of the flight under Captain Eric Ray Smith from Johannesburg to JG Strijdom Airport
Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport
Although Hosea Kutako International Airport is the main international airport of Namibia, yet there are no direct flights from/to this airport to/from countries other than its neighbouring countries , Zimbabwe, Ghana & Germany. Therefore most of the passengers flying into / out of Namibia must have...
, Windhoek, South West Africa
South West Africa
South-West Africa was the name that was used for the modern day Republic of Namibia during the earlier eras when the territory was controlled by the German Empire and later by South Africa....
was uneventful. An additional 46 passengers embarked in Windhoek, and some airfreight was unloaded and loaded. The aircraft was only 6 weeks old when it rolled for take-off from Windhoek on runway 08 at 18:49 GMT (20:49 local time). It was a dark, moonless night with few if any lights on the ground east of the runway; the aircraft took off into what was described in the official report as a "black hole". The aircraft initially climbed to an altitude of 650 feet (198.1 m) above ground level, then levelled off after 30 seconds and started to descend. Fifty seconds after take-off, it flew into the ground in flight configuration at a speed of approximately 271 knots (531.1 km/h). The four engines, which were the first parts of the aircraft to touch the ground, created four gouges in the soil before the rest of the aircraft also hit the ground and broke up. Two fires immediately broke out when fuel in the wings ignited. Although the crash site was only 5.327 kilometres (3.3 mi) from the end of the runway, emergency services took 40 minutes to reach the scene because of rugged terrain. Nine passengers who were seated in the forward section of the fuselage initially survived, but two died soon after the accident and another a few days later, leaving a final death toll of 123 passengers and crew.
Investigation
The investigation was complicated by the fact that the aircraft did not have a flight data recorderFlight data recorder
A flight data recorder is an electronic device employed to record any instructions sent to any electronic systems on an aircraft. It is a device used to record specific aircraft performance parameters...
or cockpit voice recorder
Cockpit voice recorder
A cockpit voice recorder , often referred to as a "black box", is a flight recorder used to record the audio environment in the flight deck of an aircraft for the purpose of investigation of accidents and incidents...
; the devices became mandatory from 1 January 1968, but the airline's inability to procure recorders meant that several SAA aircraft including, ZS-EUW, did not yet have the equipment fitted. Captain Smith had 4,608 flying hours on the Boeing 707, but only one hour on the new type 334C, which furthermore had been under instruction. The official investigation concluded that the aircraft and its four engines were in working order—primary fault lay with the captain and first officer, in that they "failed to maintain a safe airspeed and altitude and a positive climb by not observing flight instruments during take-off." Secondary factors that may have contributed to the accident included:
- Loss of situational awareness
- The crew had no visual reference in the dark, leading to spatial disorientationSpatial disorientationSpatial disorientation is the inability to correctly interpret aircraft attitude, altitude or airspeed, in relation to the Earth or point of reference. Spatial disorientation is a condition in which an aircraft pilot's perception of direction does not agree with reality...
. - The crew used a flapFlap (aircraft)Flaps are normally hinged surfaces mounted on the trailing edges of the wings of a fixed-wing aircraft to reduce the speed an aircraft can be safely flown at and to increase the angle of descent for landing without increasing air speed. They shorten takeoff and landing distances as well as...
retraction sequence from the 707-B series which removed flaps in larger increments than desirable for that stage of the flight, leading to a loss of lift at 600 feet (182.9 m) above ground level. - The drum-type altimeterAltimeterAn altimeter is an instrument used to measure the altitude of an object above a fixed level. The measurement of altitude is called altimetry, which is related to the term bathymetry, the measurement of depth underwater.-Pressure altimeter:...
fitted to the aircraft, was notoriously difficult for pilots to read; the pilots may have misread their altitude by 1000 feet. - After investigating this accident as well as a number of others that also involved controlled flight into terrainControlled flight into terrainControlled flight into terrain describes an accident in which an airworthy aircraft, under pilot control, is unintentionally flown into the ground, a mountain, water, or an obstacle. The term was coined by engineers at Boeing in the late 1970s...
, the Federal Aviation AdministrationFederal Aviation AdministrationThe Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
determined that a ground proximity warning systemGround Proximity Warning SystemA 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...
would have helped to avert some of the accidents. New regulations were therefore introduced from February 1972 requiring all turbojet aircraft to be fitted with the system.
See also
- Sensory illusions in aviationSensory Illusions in AviationBecause human senses are adapted for use on the ground, navigating by sensory input alone during flight can be dangerous: sensory input does not always accurately reflect the movement of the aircraft, causing sensory illusions. These illusions can be extremely dangerous for pilots.-Vestibular...
- American Airlines Flight 383American Airlines Flight 383American Airlines Flight 383 was a nonstop flight from New York to Cincinnati on November 8, 1965. The aircraft was a Boeing 727-123 aircraft with 62 people on board. The aircraft crashed on approach to the Greater Cincinnati Airport...
(pilot error reading a drum-type altimeter)