Dan-Air Flight 0034
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 A Dan-Air HS.748 similar to the accident aircraft | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 31 July 1979 |
| Summary | Maintenance error (Accidental engagement of gust lock) |
| Site | |
 | |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Hawker Siddeley HS.748-105 series 1 |
| Operator | Dan-Air Services Ltd |
| Call sign | DAN-AIR 0034 |
| Registration | G-BEKF |
| Flight origin | Sumburgh Airport |
| Destination | Aberdeen Airport |
| Occupants | 47 |
| Passengers | 44 |
| Crew | 3 |
| Fatalities | 17 |
| Survivors | 30 |
Dan-Air Flight 0034 was a fatal accident involving a Hawker Siddeley HS 748 series 1 turboprop aircraft operated by Dan-Air Services Limited on an oil industry charter flight from Sumburgh Airport, Shetland Islands, to Aberdeen Airport.
The crash, which occurred on 31 July 1979 50 m (160 ft) offshore following the aircraft's failure to take off, resulted in the aircraft's destruction and 17 deaths of 47 on board (15 of 44 passengers and both pilots).[1][2][3]
The aircraft, operated by Dan-Air Services Ltd, was a Hawker Siddeley HS 748-105 Series 1[a] with aircraft registration G-BEKF, that had its first flight in 1962.[1] It entered service with Aerolíneas Argentinas the same year and was subsequently operated by Argentinian state-owned oil company Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales (YPF).[5] It was one of seven Hawker Siddeley HS 748 series 1 aircraft Dan-Air acquired from YPF for oil industry support work in the North Sea in 1977.[6] At the time of the accident, it had flown 29,007 hours.[1]
Accident
G-BEKF was engaged on regular charter flights between Aberdeen and Sumburgh, carrying oil company personnel. The inbound flight to Sumburgh was made without incident and the crew had a seven-hour stopover before making the return flight to Aberdeen, Dan-Air 0034, with 44 passengers on board.[7]
When flight 0034 was cleared for takeoff from runway 09 at 15:59 hours, the engines were accelerated while the aircraft was held back by its brakes. The takeoff run commenced at exactly 16:00 hours. Evidence later retrieved from the aircraft's flight data recorder showed that it accelerated normally through the V1 decision speed of 92 kn (170 km/h; 106 mph), to its V2 takeoff safety speed of 99 kn (183 km/h; 114 mph). However, no rotation was carried out even though the aircraft significantly exceeded its VR vertical rotation speed of 113 kn (209 km/h; 130 mph).[7][8]
About five seconds after reaching the scheduled rotation speed, the aircraft began to decelerate. It then crossed the airport perimeter road and passed over the inclined sea defences, losing its undercarriage, port wing and breaking its fuselage in two in the process. The aircraft came to rest on the surface of the sea, approximately 50 m (160 ft) from the shoreline, sinking nose first after two to three minutes, in approximately 10 m (33 ft) of water.[1][2][7][9] Elizabeth Cowe, the sole flight attendant, was among the 30 survivors. She assisted in the rescue of 26 of the 29 surviving passengers, which earned her an MBE in recognition of her bravery.[9] However, adverse weather conditions hampered rescue attempts mounted by boat and helicopter, and they were unable to prevent the remaining 15 passengers' and both pilots' deaths by drowning.[1][2][3][7]