South African Airlink Flight 8911 was a positioning flight from
Durban International Airport
Durban International Airport (formerly Louis Botha Airport) was the international airport of Durban from 1951 until 2010, when it was replaced by King Shaka International Airport, to the north. The airport is co-located with AFB Durban.
Hi ...
to
Pietermaritzburg Airport
Pietermaritzburg Airport is the primary airport serving the city of Pietermaritzburg and surrounding areas, including the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal, Midlands and the outer west areas of Durban. Pietermaritzburg Airport is the only airport in the ...
, South Africa, that crashed into the grounds of Merebank Secondary School,
Durban
Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...
shortly after take-off on 24 September 2009, injuring the three occupants of the aircraft and one on the ground. The captain of the flight subsequently died of his injuries on 7 October 2009.
Flight
The flight was a positioning flight (ferry flight) from
Durban
Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...
to
Pietermaritzburg
Pietermaritzburg (; Zulu: umGungundlovu) is the capital and second-largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was founded in 1838 and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. Its Zulu name umGungundlovu ...
, carrying no passengers.
The three crew members consisted of captain Allister Freeman, first officer Sonja Bierman, and a flight attendant.
The aircraft, a
BAe Jetstream 41
The British Aerospace Jetstream 41 is a turboprop-powered feederliner and regional airliner, designed by British Aerospace as a stretched version of the popular Jetstream 31. Intended to compete directly with 30-seat aircraft like the Embraer ...
with
registration
Register or registration may refer to:
Arts entertainment, and media Music
* Register (music), the relative "height" or range of a note, melody, part, instrument, etc.
* ''Register'', a 2017 album by Travis Miller
* Registration (organ), th ...
had only flown 50 hours since its last service.
The aircraft had been diverted to Durban from Pietermaritzburg the previous evening by bad weather.
Crash
At around 8:00 a.m. local time (06:00
UTC) on 24 September 2009, the flight departed
Durban International Airport
Durban International Airport (formerly Louis Botha Airport) was the international airport of Durban from 1951 until 2010, when it was replaced by King Shaka International Airport, to the north. The airport is co-located with AFB Durban.
Hi ...
. Shortly after takeoff, the crew reported loss of engine power and smoke from the rear of the aircraft, and declared an emergency.
Witnesses reported the aircraft flying at an unusually low altitude, and that the pilot was attempting to ditch the aircraft in vacant land surrounding Merebank Secondary School approximately from the threshold of Runway 24 at
Durban International Airport
Durban International Airport (formerly Louis Botha Airport) was the international airport of Durban from 1951 until 2010, when it was replaced by King Shaka International Airport, to the north. The airport is co-located with AFB Durban.
Hi ...
.
The school was closed on the day of the accident because it was
Heritage Day, a public holiday. The pilot ditched the aircraft on the sports field of the school, avoiding hitting nearby residential properties;
the aircraft broke into three pieces on impact.
Rescue
Rescue workers arrived on the scene shortly after the crash and cut the three crew members out of the wreckage using
hydraulic rescue tools
Hydraulic rescue tools, also known as jaws of life, are used by emergency rescue personnel to assist in the extrication of victims involved in vehicle accidents, as well as other rescues in small spaces. These tools include cutters, spreaders ...
. The captain was airlifted to St. Augustine's Hospital at 11:00 a.m. local time (09:00
UTC) in a critical condition; the critically injured first officer and seriously injured flight attendant were taken to other nearby hospitals. A street cleaner on the school's perimeter was struck by the plane and was taken to hospital.
The captain died of his injuries on 7 October 2009.
Investigation
Investigators from the
South African Civil Aviation Authority
The South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA or CAA) is the civil aviation authority of South Africa, overseeing civil aviation and governing investigations of aviation accidents and incidents. It is headquartered in the Ikhaya Lokundiza Buil ...
(CAA) were dispatched to the crash scene; the CAA conducted an on-site investigation to determine the possible cause of the crash.
The
flight data recorder
A flight recorder is an electronic recording device placed in an aircraft for the purpose of facilitating the investigation of aviation accidents and incidents. The device may often be referred to as a "black box", an outdated name which has b ...
and
cockpit voice recorder
A flight recorder is an electronic recording device placed in an aircraft for the purpose of facilitating the investigation of aviation accidents and incidents. The device may often be referred to as a "black box", an outdated name which has b ...
were retrieved and used in the investigation.
British Aerospace
British Aerospace plc (BAe) was a British aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was at Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire. Formed in 1977, in 1999 it purchased Marconi ...
, the manufacturer of the aircraft, dispatched a team of technical experts to assist in the investigation should they have been required by the CAA.
On 9 October 2009, the CAA issued a press release requesting the public's assistance in finding a bearing cap from one of the engines. The cap, which possibly separated from the engine during takeoff, could not be found at the crash site or at the airport.
On 23 December 2009, the CAA issued the following press release : "In the case of the FADN (Merebank) accident the initial cause appears to be that of an engine failure during take-off which finally resulted in an accident when the human factor involvement resulted in the wrong engine being shut down. This type of engine failure has occurred previously and the cause is known to the manufacturer
[http://www.caa.co.za/ ]
See also
*
Kegworth air disaster
The Kegworth air disaster occurred when British Midland Airways Flight 092, a Boeing 737-400, crashed onto the motorway embankment between the M1 motorway and A453 road near Kegworth, Leicestershire, England, while attempting to make an emer ...
,
TransAsia Airways Flight 235
TransAsia Airways Flight 235 was a TransAsia Airways domestic flight from Taipei to Kinmen (Quemoy). On , the aircraft serving the flight, a 10-month-old ATR 72-600, crashed into the Keelung River shortly after takeoff from Taipei Songshan Air ...
and
Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 56
Azerbaijan Airlines Flight A-56 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Nakhchivan to Baku operated by Azerbaijan Airlines which crashed on 5 December 1995, killing 52 people. The aircraft servicing the flight, a Tupolev Tu-134B-3, expe ...
- other cases of wrong engine shutdown
References
External links
Final Accident Investigation ReportArchive by the
South African Civil Aviation Authority
The South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA or CAA) is the civil aviation authority of South Africa, overseeing civil aviation and governing investigations of aviation accidents and incidents. It is headquartered in the Ikhaya Lokundiza Buil ...
News archive– Airlink – Has information about the incident in the year 2009
Flight 8911 at the Aviation Safety Network
{{Aviation accidents and incidents in South Africa
Aviation accidents and incidents in 2009
Accidents and incidents involving the British Aerospace Jetstream
Aviation accidents and incidents in South Africa
2009 in South Africa
History of Durban
Airliner accidents and incidents caused by pilot error
September 2009 events in South Africa
Airliner accidents and incidents caused by engine failure
Airliner accidents and incidents caused by wrong engine shutdown
Events in Durban