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V a r i g A i r l i n e s , DC-8, PP-PEA, a c c i d e n t a t R o b e r t s I n t e r n a t i o n a l A i r p o r t ,
C h a r l e s v i l l e , M a r s h a l l T e r r i t o r y . L i b e r i a , on 5 March 1967. Summary of
A i r c r a f t Accident Report d a t e d 1 3 September 1967, r e l e a s e d by t h e
Commission of I n q u i r y , Department of Commerce and I n d u s t r y ,
R e p u b l i c of L i b e r i a
1. - Investigation
1.1 H i s t o r y of t h e f l i g h t
A f t e r t h e p r o c e d u r e t u r n , t h e c o - p i l o t c a l l e d e a c h 100 i t of a l t i t u d e and t h e
speed and he checked t h e i n d i c a t i o n of t h e v e r t i c a l speed i n d i c a t o r s . A t a n a l t i t u d e o f
about 1 000 i t , f l a p s were p u t i n t h e f u l l down p o s i t i o n and s h o r t l y t h e r e a f t e r , a t a n
a l t i t u d e of 800-700 f t , t h e a i r c r a f t e n t e r e d some s t r a t u s and, f u r t h e r down, f o g p a t c h e s .
When e n t e r i n g t h e s t r a t u s l a y e r , t h e pilot-in-command t o l d t h e co-pi10.t t h a t i t was no
l o n g e r n e c e s s a r y t o r e p o r t a l t i t u d e and speed and was i n s t r u c t e d t o l o o k o u t s i d e and t o
r e p o r t a s s o o n a s he c o u l d s e e t h e runway. According t o t h e c o - p i l o t , t h i s i n s t r u c t i o n
was g i v e n when t h e a i r c r a f t was p a s s i n g overhead t h e FR l o c a t o r beacon.
None 2 14
.I i
* The f l i g h t e n g i n e e r d i d n o t s u r v i v e ,
1.3 Damage t o a i r c r a f t
O t h e r damage
The a i r c r a f t ' s c e r t i f i c a t e of a i r w o r t h i n e s s , i s s u e d by t h e B r a z i l i a n C i v i l
A v i a t i o n a u t h o r i t i e s was v a l i d u n t i l 20 August 1967. The a i r c r a f t had been m a i n t a i n e d i n
a c c o r d a n c e w i t h Varig A i r l i n e s ' p r o c e d u r e s and t h e B r a z i l i a n C i v i l A v i a t i o n a u t h o r i t y
d i r e c t i v e s . It had accumulated a t o t a l of 16 775 h o u r s .
The c e n t r e of g r a v i t y was w i t h i n t h e p r e s c r i b e d l i m i t s .
Approximately 20 m i n u t e s b e f o r e t h e t i m e of t h e a c c i d e n t , R o b e r t s Approach
C o n t r o l p a s s e d t h e f o l l o w i n g weather r e p o r t t o t h e a i r c r a f t f o r l a n d i n g . T h i s w a s t h e
0200 h o u r s a c t u a l :
S u r f a c e wind: calm
V i s i b i l i t y : 8 km ( 5 s t a t u t e m i l e s )
Weather: hazy
Cloud: 218 Sc 1 200 f t
Temperature: 240C
Dew-point: 23O~
QNH: 1 009.1 mb
QFE: 1 008.3 mb
S u r f a c e wind: 050°/2 k t
V i s i b i l i t y : 8 km ( 5 s t a t u t e m i l e s )
Weather: l i g h t f o g ; 3 / 8 k S t 400 f t ; 2 / 8 k S t 1 200 f t
Temperatuie: 240C
Dew-point: 230C
QNH: 1 008.8 mb
QFE: 1 008.0 mb
It was n o t e d t h a t t h e m e t e o r o l o g i c a l o b s e r v e r a t R o b e r t s h a s no n i g h t v i s u a l
r e f e r e n c e p o i n t beyond t h e Z marker which is l o c a t e d 1 150 m (3 772 f t ) from t h e t h r e s h o l d
of runway 04 and 3.15 km (1.97 s t a t u t e m i l e s ) from t h e Met o b s e r v e r and t h e Duty ATCO.
1.8 Aids t o n a v i g a t i o n
1.9 Cormrmnicat i o n s
1.11 F l i g h t r e c o r d e r s
1.1 A i r c r a f t wreckage
1.13 -
Fire
F a i l u r e of t h e c a b i n l i g h t s a f t e r f i r s t impact r e n d e r e d e v a c u a t i o n a c t i o n
more d i f f i c u l t .
W h i l s t a s s i s t a n c e was r e n d e r e d by some of t h e c a b i n s t a f f i n t h e f r o n t sec-
t i o n w i t h t h e e v a c u a t i o n of some of t h e 11 s u r v i v i n g p a s s e n g e r s from s e a t row 1 3 forward
through t h e f r o n t l e f t - h a n d d o o r , t h e Commission n o t e s t h a t 6 p a s s e n g e r s from s e a t row 11,
who s u b s e q u e n t l y d i e d , d i d n o t w a c u a t e t h r o u g h t h e f r o n t s e c t i o n w i t h t h e o t h e r s . The
i n t e n s i t y of t h e f i r e which s t a r t e d i n t h e wing a r e a , and d i v i d i n g t h e f u s e l a g e i n t o two
s e p a r a t e s e c t i o n s a t row 1 5 , undoubtedly p r e v e n t e d t h e c a b i n s t a f f from t h e f r o n t i n
rendering a s s i s t a n c e t o those passengers f u r t h e r i n t h e r e a r .
I n t h i s r e s p e c t , it is of importance t h a t t h e pilot-in-command s t a t e d t h a t
h i s a l t i t u d e over t h e c o a s t w a s 1 500 f t . However, t h e c o - p i l o t d e c l a r e d t h a t i n t h i s
p o s i t i o n he saw t h e VASI l i g h t s a l l w h i t e . A f l i g h t test r e v e a l e d t h a t t h i s i s o n l y pos-
s i b l e i f t h e minimum a l t i t u d e a t t h e c o a s t amounts t o 1 800 f t . From t h e a v a i l a b l e e v i d e n c e
i t i s c l e a r t h a t t h e pilot-in-command c a r r i e d o u t a r o u t i n e d e s c e n t a t t h e c o r r e c t speed
and t h e c o r r e c t rate of d e s c e n t , but n o t b e f o r e h e reached FR, d i d he d i s c o v e r t h a t he was
about 300 f t h i g h e r t h a n h e had supposed.
II
a v a i l a b l e power is n o t known; t h e second o f f i c e r s t a t e d : H e o n l y a p p l i e d a smal. 3mount
of power n o t enough t o go around." Because a jet a i r c r a f t does n o t r e a c t immediately i n
a v e r t i c a l s e n s e when power is a p p l i e d , as f i r s t t h e speed h a s t o i e i n c r e a s e d , a con-
s i d e r a b l e l o s s of a l t i t u d e o c c u r s b e f o r e l e v e l f l i g h t i s a c h i e v e d . Evidence r r . v e s ~ s - dt h a t
t h e f i n a l a n g l e of d e s c e n t was a t l e a s t 4.5O, t h e r e b y i n d i c a t i n g t h a t t h e -i-hievemer -
l e v e l f l i g h t was f a r from b e i n g r e a l i z e d . Also t h e i m p r e s s i o n of b o t h main l a n d i n g
and t h e n o s e g e a r a t t h e f i r s t p o i n t of impact i n d i c a t e d t h a t t h e a i r c r a f t v a s
a nose-down a t t i t u d e a t impact.
2.2 Conclusions
(a) Findin~s
Based on t h e f o r e g o i n g , t h e Commission b e l i e v e s t h e f o l l o w i n g c o n c l u s i o n s
a r e j u s t i f ied:
The c a p t a i n d i d n o t make u s e of t h e a v a i l a b l e n a v i g a t i o n a l a i d s by d i s r e g a r d -
i n g t h e i n d i c a t i o n s of h i s d i s t a n c e measuring equipment d u r i n g f i n a l approach.
(b) Cause o r
Probable cause(s)
The p r o b a b l e c a u s e of t h i s a c c i d e n t w a s t h e f a i l u r e of t h e pilot-in-command
t o arrest i n t i m e t h e f a s t d e s c e n t a t a low a l t i t u d e upon which h e had e r r o n e o u s l y d e c i d e d ,
i n s t e a d of e x e c u t i n g a missed approach when h e found h i m s e l f t o o h i g h o v e r t h e l o c a t o r
beacon.
Scheduled i n t e r n a t i o n a l
Landing
Undershoot
I C A O Ref: XR/002/67 L ~ i l o tmisjudged d i s t a n c e I