 A Viscount 701 of Cambrian Airways, similar to the aircraft involved in the accident | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 10 November 1971 (1971-11-10) |
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain |
| Site | Off Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Vickers Viscount 828 |
| Aircraft name | Sabang |
| Operator | Merpati Nusantara Airlines |
| Registration | PK-MVS |
| Flight origin | Kemayoran Airport, Jakarta, Indonesia |
| Destination | Tabing Airport, Padang, Indonesia |
| Occupants | 69 |
| Passengers | 62 |
| Crew | 7 |
| Fatalities | 69 |
| Survivors | 0 |
On 10 November 1971, a Merpati Nusantara Airlines Vickers Viscount, registration PK-MVS, crashed in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia, after telling air traffic controllers they could not make their destination due to bad weather. All 69 people aboard the aircraft were killed in the crash. It remains the third worst Vickers Viscount accident.
Accident
The aircraft was flying between Kemayoran Airport in Jakarta, and Tabing Airport, the then airport of Padang. Five minutes before it was scheduled to arrive at Tabing, air traffic controllers lost radio contact with the flight. Controllers at Talang Betutu Airport, Palembang, South Sumatra, reported the aircraft issued a distress signal. The flight crew reportedly said they could not land at Padang because of poor weather and bad visibility. The aircraft subsequently crashed into the Indian Ocean, killing all 62 passengers and seven crew aboard the aircraft.
Passengers and crew
All the passengers aboard the aircraft were Indonesian nationals, except for a West German doctor and his wife, and a British helicopter pilot who was employed in Indonesia. Eight children were also aboard the flight. Among the victims was the Indonesian renowned choreographer of Minangkabau descent Huriah Adam.
| Nationality | Fatalities | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passengers | Crew | ||
| Indonesia | 59 | 7 | 66 |
| West Germany | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Great Britain | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 62 | 7 | 69 |
Aftermath
Three days after the accident, pieces of the wreckage were found floating 75 miles off Sumatra, Indonesia. Fisherman found seats of the aircraft between the Beringin and Katang-Katang islands. An Indonesian Navy boat also recovered clothes and uninflated life rafts.
See also
Portals:
- List of accidents and incidents involving the Vickers Viscount
- List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft
- 1971 in aviation
References
- ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
- ^ "Plane Wreckage Found in Ocean". Newspaper Archive. 13 November 1971. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
- Associated Press (11 November 1971). "Airliner Lost With 69 Aboard". The Press-Courier. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
- "Turbo-prop feared lost, 69 on board". The Windsor Star. 11 November 1971. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
External links
| Aviation accidents and incidents in 1971 (1971) | |
|---|---|
| Jan 7 B-52C Lake Michigan crashJan 18 Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Flight 130Jan 22 Surgut Aeroflot Antonov An-12 crashJan 30 Indian Airlines hijackingJan 31 Surgut Aeroflot Antonov An-12 crashMar 31 Aeroflot Flight 1969May 23 Aviogenex Flight 130May 28 Colorado Aviation Aero Commander 680Jun 6 Hughes Airwest Flight 706Jun 7 Allegheny Airlines Flight 485Jul 3 Toa Domestic Airlines Flight 63Jul 25 Aeroflot Flight 1912Jul 30 All Nippon Airways Flight 58Jul 30 Pan Am Flight 845Aug 28 Malév Flight 731Sep 4 Alaska Airlines Flight 1866Sep 6 Paninternational Flight 112Sep 13 Lin Biao incidentSep 16 Malév Flight 110Oct 2 British European Airways Flight 706Oct 10 Aeroflot Flight 773Nov 9 Aeroflot Flight N-63Nov 9 Livorno RAF Hercules crashNov 10 Indian Ocean Vickers Viscount crashNov 20 China Airlines Flight 825Nov 24 D. B. Cooper hijackingDec 1 Aeroflot Flight 2174Dec 2 Pakistan International Airlines Flight 712Dec 24 LANSA Flight 508 | |
| 1970 ◄ ► 1972 |