Trans Service Airlift Lockheed L-188 crash
Encyclopedia
The Trans Service Airlift Lockheed L-188 crash occurred on 18 December 1995 when a Lockheed L-188C Electra
owned by Trans Service Airlift
crashed shortly after takeoff from Jamba Airport (JMB), Angola
, killing 141 of the passengers and crew.
Trans Service Airlift (TSA), was a private company headquartered at Ndjili Airport, Kinshasa
. The Electra, MSN 1080, was one of two of a number of aging craft operated by TSA. It was built in 1959, flown by Eastern Air Lines
1959-1968, acquired by Líneas Aéreas Paraguayas (now LAPSA Air Paraguay) 1968, and sold to TSA in 1994.
On the date of the accident, the aircraft was a special charter for UNITA
. Following the 1993 trade embargo on UNITA there were frequent "sanction busting" flights out of Zaire. TSA was one of the companies cited in connection with these operations. These flights rarely carried weapons (which were typically supplied over ground routes); usual cargos were personnel, fuels, food, and medical supplies. The Angolan Government later claimed the aircraft was carrying weapons.
The aircraft, with 139 passengers and five crew members, was carrying forty more people than the plane was designed to carry, without taking cargo into account. It crashed very soon after take-off, in the initial climb phase of flight. Some reports speculate that a movement of the cargo may have caused the crash.
One member of the crew and two passengers survived the initial crash. The accident was the worst plane crash in 1995 until the crash of American Airlines Flight 965
two days later. It remains the worst ever plane crash in Angola.
Lockheed L-188 Electra
The Lockheed Model 188 Electra is an American turboprop airliner built by Lockheed. First flying in 1957, it was the first large turboprop airliner produced in the United States. Initial sales were good, but after two fatal crashes which prompted an expensive modification program to fix a design...
owned by Trans Service Airlift
Trans Service Airlift
Trans Service Airlift was an airline based at N'djili Airport, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was privately owned and operated in years 1991-1998.- Incidents and accidents :...
crashed shortly after takeoff from Jamba Airport (JMB), Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
, killing 141 of the passengers and crew.
Trans Service Airlift (TSA), was a private company headquartered at Ndjili Airport, Kinshasa
Kinshasa
Kinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located on the Congo River....
. The Electra, MSN 1080, was one of two of a number of aging craft operated by TSA. It was built in 1959, flown by Eastern Air Lines
Eastern Air Lines
Eastern Air Lines was a major United States airline that existed from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida.-History:...
1959-1968, acquired by Líneas Aéreas Paraguayas (now LAPSA Air Paraguay) 1968, and sold to TSA in 1994.
On the date of the accident, the aircraft was a special charter for UNITA
UNITA
The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola is the second-largest political party in Angola. Founded in 1966, UNITA fought with the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola in the Angolan War for Independence and then against the MPLA in the ensuing civil war .The war was one...
. Following the 1993 trade embargo on UNITA there were frequent "sanction busting" flights out of Zaire. TSA was one of the companies cited in connection with these operations. These flights rarely carried weapons (which were typically supplied over ground routes); usual cargos were personnel, fuels, food, and medical supplies. The Angolan Government later claimed the aircraft was carrying weapons.
The aircraft, with 139 passengers and five crew members, was carrying forty more people than the plane was designed to carry, without taking cargo into account. It crashed very soon after take-off, in the initial climb phase of flight. Some reports speculate that a movement of the cargo may have caused the crash.
One member of the crew and two passengers survived the initial crash. The accident was the worst plane crash in 1995 until the crash of American Airlines Flight 965
American Airlines Flight 965
American Airlines Flight 965, a Boeing 757 registered , was a scheduled flight from Miami International Airport in Miami, Florida to Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport in Cali, Colombia, which crashed into a mountain in Buga, Colombia on December 20, 1995, killing 151 passengers and 8...
two days later. It remains the worst ever plane crash in Angola.