The Fokker F27 Friendship is a
turboprop
A turboprop is a turbine engine that drives an aircraft propeller.
A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction gearbox, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propelling nozzle. Air enters the intake and is compressed by the compressor. Fuel ...
airliner
An airliner is a type of aircraft for transporting passengers and air cargo. Such aircraft are most often operated by airlines. Although the definition of an airliner can vary from country to country, an airliner is typically defined as an ...
developed and manufactured by the Dutch
aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines ...
manufacturer
Fokker
Fokker was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer named after its founder, Anthony Fokker. The company operated under several different names. It was founded in 1912 in Berlin, Germany, and became famous for its fighter aircraft in World War I. In 1919 ...
. It is the most numerous post-war aircraft manufactured in the Netherlands; the F27 was also one of the most successful European airliners of its era.
The F27 was developed during the early 1950s with the intent of producing a capable successor to the earlier
piston engine
A reciprocating engine, also often known as a piston engine, is typically a heat engine that uses one or more reciprocating pistons to convert high temperature and high pressure into a rotating motion. This article describes the common featu ...
-powered airliners that had become commonplace on the market, such as the
Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner
manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II.
It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version ...
. A key innovation of the F27 was the adoption of the
Rolls-Royce Dart
The Rolls-Royce RB.53 Dart is a turboprop engine designed and manufactured by Rolls-Royce Limited. First run in 1946, it powered the Vickers Viscount on its maiden flight in 1948. A flight on July 29 of that year, which carried 14 paying passe ...
turboprop
A turboprop is a turbine engine that drives an aircraft propeller.
A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction gearbox, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propelling nozzle. Air enters the intake and is compressed by the compressor. Fuel ...
engine, which produced substantially less vibration and noise which provided improved conditions for passengers; another major comfort feature was
cabin pressurisation
Cabin pressurization is a process in which conditioned air is pumped into the cabin of an aircraft or spacecraft in order to create a safe and comfortable environment for passengers and crew flying at high altitudes. For aircraft, this air is u ...
. Innovative manufacturing techniques were also employed in the aircraft's construction.
On 24 November 1955, the F27 made its
maiden flight
The maiden flight, also known as first flight, of an aircraft is the first occasion on which it leaves the ground under its own power. The same term is also used for the first launch of rockets.
The maiden flight of a new aircraft type is alwa ...
; on 19 November 1958, the type was introduced to revenue service. Shortly after its introduction, the F27 was recognised as being a commercial success. Under a
licensing arrangement reached between Fokker and the U.S. aircraft manufacturer
Fairchild Fairchild may refer to:
Organizations
* Fairchild Aerial Surveys, operated in cooperation with a subsidiary of Fairey Aviation Company
* Fairchild Camera and Instrument
* List of Sherman Fairchild companies, "Fairchild" companies
* Fairchild Fa ...
, the F27 was manufactured in the United States by the latter; Fairchild went on to independently develop a stretched version of the airliner, which was designated as the
Fairchild FH-227
The Fairchild F-27 and Fairchild Hiller FH-227 were versions of the Fokker F27 Friendship twin-engined turboprop passenger aircraft manufactured under license by Fairchild Hiller in the United States. The Fairchild F-27 was similar to the standa ...
. During the 1980s, Fokker developed a modernised successor to the F27, the
Fokker 50
The Fokker 50 is a turboprop-powered airliner, designed as an improved version of the successful Fokker F27 Friendship. The Fokker 60 is a stretched freighter version of the Fokker 50. Both aircraft were manufactured and supported by Dutch airc ...
, which eventually replaced it in production.
Design and development
Origins
In the aftermath of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, twin-engine all-metal
monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes.
A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...
s such as the successful
Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner
manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II.
It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version ...
airliner dominated commuter aviation. Over 10,000 DC-3s had been manufactured during wartime, which led to the type being highly available and thus encouraging its adoption by hundreds of operators across the world.
["Significant Aircraft Profiles: F27 Fokker Friendship."](_blank)
''South Australian Aviation Museum'', Retrieved: 24 March 2017.
By the early 1950s, various aircraft manufacturers had begun considering the post-war requirements of the civil aviation market and several commenced work upon projects aiming to produce designs for new aircraft which would be viewed as best meeting these requirements;
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
firm
Fokker
Fokker was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer named after its founder, Anthony Fokker. The company operated under several different names. It was founded in 1912 in Berlin, Germany, and became famous for its fighter aircraft in World War I. In 1919 ...
was amongst the companies pursuing development of such an aircraft.
By 1951, figures within Fokker were urging that design work be undertaken on a prospective 32-seat airliner intended as a direct replacement for the popular DC-3.
["Commercial Aircraft of the World..."](_blank)
''Flight International'', 26 November 1964. p. 917. Fokker sought the opinions of existing DC-3 operators on what performance increases and refinements they would expect of a new model of commuter aircraft. On the basis of this feedback, the design team chose to incorporate various new technologies into the tentative design.
Fokker evaluated several potential configurations for the airliner, including the use of
Wright Cyclone
Wright Cyclone was the name given to a family of air-cooled radial piston engines designed by the Wright Aeronautical Corporation and used in numerous American aircraft in the 1930s and 1940s.
Background
The Wright Aeronautical Corporation was f ...
radial engine
The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is ca ...
s, before finally settling upon a high-
wing
A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expres ...
aircraft, which was furnished with a pair of
Rolls-Royce Dart
The Rolls-Royce RB.53 Dart is a turboprop engine designed and manufactured by Rolls-Royce Limited. First run in 1946, it powered the Vickers Viscount on its maiden flight in 1948. A flight on July 29 of that year, which carried 14 paying passe ...
turboprop
A turboprop is a turbine engine that drives an aircraft propeller.
A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction gearbox, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propelling nozzle. Air enters the intake and is compressed by the compressor. Fuel ...
engines and a
pressurised cabin which contained a total of 28 passengers.
The Dart engine had already proven successful on the early models of the
Vickers Viscount
The Vickers Viscount is a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs. A design requirement from the Brabazon Committee, it entered service in 1953 and was the first turboprop-powered airliner.
The Visc ...
, while a high-mounted wing had been selected as it produced a higher lift coefficient than a lower counterpart, it also enabled easier ground loading due to a lower floor level and provided unfettered external views to passengers without any weight increase. In the aircraft's construction, Fokker used an innovative metal-to-metal bonding technique,
Redux, resulting in a longer fatigue life, improved aerodynamics, and a lighter structure; Fokker became the first such company after
de Havilland
The de Havilland Aircraft Company Limited () was a British aviation manufacturer established in late 1920 by Geoffrey de Havilland at Stag Lane Aerodrome Edgware on the outskirts of north London. Operations were later moved to Hatfield in H ...
to employ such means.
In 1953, the proposed airliner received the name ''Friendship''.
A total of four
prototype
A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototyp ...
s were produced, two of these being flyable aircraft that were used for the test flight programme and were paid for by the
Netherlands Institute of Aircraft Development; the other two prototypes were for static and fatigue testing.
On 24 November 1955, the first prototype, registered ''PH-NIV'', performed its
maiden flight
The maiden flight, also known as first flight, of an aircraft is the first occasion on which it leaves the ground under its own power. The same term is also used for the first launch of rockets.
The maiden flight of a new aircraft type is alwa ...
.
The second prototype and initial production machines were 0.9 m (3 ft) longer than the first prototype in order to address a revealed tendency for slightly tail-heavy handling as well as to provide additional space for four more passengers, raising the maximum number of passengers which could be carried to 32. These aircraft were also powered by the Dart Mk 528 engine, which was capable of generating greater thrust.
Further development
Throughout the F27's production life, Fokker proceeded to adapt the design for various purposes and roles.
Via modifications such as the adoption of improved engines, rearranged loading doors, elongated fuselages, and other changes, several different models of the F27 were developed and made available for commercial operators. Several military transport models were also produced. Fokker also chose to design a dedicated model of the F27 for conducting
maritime reconnaissance {{Unreferenced, date=March 2008
Maritime patrol is the task of monitoring areas of water. Generally conducted by military and law enforcement agencies, maritime patrol is usually aimed at identifying human activities.
Maritime patrol refers to ac ...
missions.
During 1952, Fokker established a relationship with the US aircraft manufacturer
Fairchild Fairchild may refer to:
Organizations
* Fairchild Aerial Surveys, operated in cooperation with a subsidiary of Fairey Aviation Company
* Fairchild Camera and Instrument
* List of Sherman Fairchild companies, "Fairchild" companies
* Fairchild Fa ...
, which was interested in the upcoming F27.
In 1956, Fokker signed a
licensing deal with Fairchild, under which the latter was authorised to manufacture the F27 in the USA. On 12 April 1958, the first American-built aircraft conducted its first flight.
Production of Fairchild built aircraft would continue until July 1973. Fairchild proceeded to independently develop a stretched version of the airliner, designated as the
FH-227. The majority of sales completed by Fairchild fell within the North American market.
In the early 1980s, Fokker decided to develop a modernised successor to the F27 Friendship, designated as the F27 Mark 050 and marketed as the
Fokker 50
The Fokker 50 is a turboprop-powered airliner, designed as an improved version of the successful Fokker F27 Friendship. The Fokker 60 is a stretched freighter version of the Fokker 50. Both aircraft were manufactured and supported by Dutch airc ...
. Although originating from the F27-500 airframe, the Fokker 50 was virtually a new aircraft, complete with
Pratt & Whitney Canada
Pratt & Whitney Canada (PWC or P&WC) is a Canada-based aircraft engine manufacturer. PWC's headquarters are in Longueuil, Quebec, just outside Montreal. It is a division of the larger US-based Pratt & Whitney (P&W), itself a business unit of ...
engines and modern systems, which led to its general performance and passenger comfort being noticeably improved over the F27.
[Eriksson and Steenhuis 2015, p. 44.] The Fokker 50 ultimately replaced the F27 in production.
Operational history
![Braathens SAFE F27 LN-SUE](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/Braathens_SAFE_F27_LN-SUE.jpg)
In November 1958, the first production aircraft, an F27-100 model, was delivered to Irish airline
Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus ( ; an anglicisation of the Irish , meaning "air fleet" compare Welsh 'llynges awyr') is the flag carrier of Ireland. Founded by the Irish Government, it was privatised between 2006 and 2015 and it is now a wholly owned subsidiary ...
; it performed its first revenue flight in the following month.
Other early customers of the Friendship included
Braathens SAFE
Braathens ASA, until 1997 Braathens South American & Far East Airtransport A/S and trading as Braathens SAFE, was a Norwegian airline which operated from 1946 until it merged with Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) in 2004 to become SAS Braathens. F ...
and
Luxair in Europe;
New Zealand National Airways Corporation
New Zealand National Airways Corporation, popularly known as NAC, was the national domestic airline of New Zealand from 1947 until 1978 when it amalgamated with New Zealand's international airline, Air New Zealand. The airline was headquartere ...
;
Trans Australia Airlines
Trans Australia Airlines (TAA), renamed Australian Airlines in 1986, was one of the two major Australian domestic airlines between its inception in 1946 and its merger with Qantas in September 1992. As a result of the "COBRA" (or Common Brand ...
and its Australian competitors
Ansett and
East-West Airlines; and
Turkish Airlines
Turkish Airlines ( Turkish: ''Türk Hava Yolları'') is the national flag carrier airline of Turkey. , it operates scheduled services to 340 destinations in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, making it the largest mainline carrier in the w ...
.
Initial sales for the type were slow, which led to Fokker seeking financial support from
bank
A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets.
Because ...
s and from the Dutch government in order to maintain production of the airliner while more customers were sought.
In 1960, demand for the F27 increased rapidly as multiple airlines placed sizable orders for the type. This is in part due to the spreading reputation of the type, having been found by operators that, in comparison to its piston-engine wartime counterparts like the DC-3, the F27 possessed superior levels of efficiency, enabling faster flight times, greater passenger comfort and a higher level of reliability.
In 1960, the base purchase price for an RDa.6-powered F27 was £239,000. By the end of the production run for the Fokker F27 in 1987, a total of 592 units had been completed by Fokker (additionally, another 207 F-27s and FH-227s had been produced in the US by Fairchild), more than any other western European civil turboprop airliner at the time.
In later service, many aircraft have been modified from their original configurations for passenger service to perform cargo or express-package freighter duties instead. The last major cargo user of the F27 in the United States was
FedEx Express
FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corporation, is a major American cargo airline based in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. As of 2020, it is one of the world's largest airlines in terms of fleet size and freight tons flown. It is the name ...
, using it as a cargo "feeder" aircraft. These were retired and replaced by a mixture of
ATR 42
The ATR 42 is a regional airliner produced by Franco-Italian manufacturer ATR, with final assembly in Toulouse, France.
On 4 November 1981, the aircraft was launched with ATR, as a joint venture between French Aérospatiale (now Airbus) and ...
and
ATR 72
The ATR 72 is a twin-engine turboprop, short-haul regional airliner developed and produced in France and Italy by aircraft manufacturer ATR (french: Avions de transport régional or it, Aerei da Trasporto Regionale), a joint venture formed b ...
aircraft by the end of 2009, the last of these aircraft were subsequently donated to the
Hickory Aviation Museum
Hickory Aviation Museum is an aviation museum at the Hickory Regional Airport in Hickory, North Carolina. It features a museum located in the former airport terminal with artifacts, a hangar with aircraft and outdoor exhibits of aircraft on the ...
.
As of July 2010 a total of 65 F27s were in commercial service with almost 30 different airlines. By July 2013, only 25 Friendships remained in service, operated by 13 different airlines; most of these were F27-500s, with two -400s and a solitary -600 series aircraft in service. Italian cargo airline
MiniLiner operated six F27s and
Air Panama
Air Panama is a regional airline based at Albrook "Marcos A. Gelabert" International Airport in Panama, and is currently the second-largest air carrier in the country, surpassed only by Copa Airlines. The carrier offers both scheduled and charter ...
had four in its fleet. The
United States Army Parachute Team
The United States Army Parachute Team, nicknamed the Golden Knights, is a demonstration and competition parachute team of the United States Army. It consists of demonstration and competition parachutist teams, drawn from all branches of the U.S. ...
has operated a single C-31A Troopship for conducting its skydiving exhibitions since 1985. As of July 2018, 10 aircraft remain in service operated by 7 airlines.
Variants
![Dutch Air Force F-27-300M](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Dutch_Air_Force_F-27-300M.jpg)
* F27-100 - This was the first production model; 44 passengers.
* F27-200 - It was powered by the more powerful Dart Mk 532 engine.
* F27-300 Combiplane - A combined civil passenger/cargo aircraft.
* F27-300M Troopship - Military transport version for
Royal Netherlands Air Force
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march = ''Parade March of the Royal Netherlands Air Force''
, mascot =
, anniversaries =
, equipment ...
.
* F27-400 - "Combi" passenger/cargo aircraft, with two Rolls-Royce Dart 7 turboprop engines and large cargo door.
* F27-400M - Military version for
US Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
with designation C-31A Troopship, still
in use in 2018. Last retired September 2019. 85-01608 “Excalibur” transferred to Vliegend Nederlands Cultureel Erfgoed (Flying Dutch Cultural Heritage) based at Lelystad Airport (EHLE) One C-31A auctioned in October 2019.
* F27-500 - equipped with a 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) longer
fuselage
The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraft t ...
, a return to the Dart Mk 528 engine, and accommodation for up to 52 passengers. It first flew in November 1967.
* F27-500M - Military version of the -500.
* F27-500F - A version of the -500 for Australia with smaller front and rear doors.
* F27-600 - Quick change cargo/passenger version of -200 with large cargo door.
* F27-700 - A F27-100 with a large cargo door.
* F27 200-MAR - Unarmed maritime reconnaissance version.
* F27 Maritime Enforcer - Armed maritime reconnaissance version.
*
F-27 - License-built version manufactured by
Fairchild Hiller
Fairchild was an American aircraft and aerospace manufacturing company based at various times in Farmingdale, New York; Hagerstown, Maryland; and San Antonio, Texas.
History
Early aircraft
The company was founded by Sherman Fairchild in ...
in the United States
*
FH-227 - Stretched version of the F-27, independently developed and manufactured by Fairchild Hiller in the United States
Operators
Accidents and incidents
https://aviation-safety.net/photo/2814/Fokker-F-27400M-AE-561
* On 10 June 1960,
Trans Australia Airlines Flight 538
On 10 June 1960, a Fokker Friendship passenger aircraft operated by Trans Australia Airlines (TAA) was on approach at night to land at Mackay, Queensland, Australia when it crashed into the sea. All 29 people on board Trans Australia Airlines F ...
crashed in the sea near
Mackay, Queensland
}
Mackay () is a city in the Mackay Region on the eastern or Coral Sea coast of Queensland, Australia. It is located about north of Brisbane, on the Pioneer River.
Mackay is described as being in either Central Queensland or North Queensland ...
, Australia, with 29 fatalities, in what is still the deadliest civilian Australian aircraft accident in history. The investigation was not able to determine a probable cause of this accident, but it was critical in the development of the
flight 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 ...
to record parameters to aid investigations of future airliner accidents.
* On 7 May 1964,
Pacific Air Lines Flight 773
Pacific Air Lines Flight 773 was a Fairchild F27A Friendship airliner that crashed on May 7, 1964, near Danville, California, a suburb east of Oakland. The Thursday morning crash was most likely the first instance in the United States of an airl ...
operated with a Fairchild F-27 crashed into a hill in San Ramon, California, after a suicidal passenger killed both pilots and then turned the gun on himself. All 41 remaining people on board also were killed.
* On the evening of 15 November 1964,
Bonanza Air Lines
Bonanza Air Lines was an airline (known at the time as a "local service" air carrier as defined by the federal Civil Aeronautics Board) in the Western United States (and eventually Mexico) from 1945 until it merged with two other local service ai ...
Flight 114 operated with a Fairchild F-27 was flying from
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...
, to McCarran International Airport in
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
, in poor weather conditions, when it crashed into the top of a hill in open desert country about 10 miles (16 km) SSW of Las Vegas. All 29 people on board—26 passengers and a crew of three—died instantly when the plane exploded on impact, no more than 10 feet (3 m) below a ridge crest. It was Bonanza's only crash with fatalities during the airline's 23-year history.
*On 21 April 1969, an
Indian Airlines
Indian Airlines was a division of Air India Limited. It was based in Delhi and focused primarily on domestic routes, along with several international services to neighbouring countries in Asia. It was a division of Air India Limited after m ...
flight crashed in a thunderstorm while crossing East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) airspace on its flight from
Agartala
Agartala () is the capital city of the Indian state of Tripura, and is one of the largest cities in northeast India. The city is governed by the Agartala Municipal Corporation. The city is the seat of the Government of Tripura. It is located on ...
to
Calcutta
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
, killing all 44 people on board.
* On 6 August 1970, a
Pakistan International Airlines
Pakistan International Airlines ( ur, ; abbreviated PIA, ur, ) is an international airline that serves as the national flag carrier of Pakistan under the administrative control of the Secretary to the Government of Pakistan for Aviation. It ...
Fokker F27 turboprop aircraft crashed near the small village Rawat, after take-off from Islamabad in a thunderstorm, killing all 30 people on board.
*On 26 September 1970, a
Flugfélag Íslands Fokker F27 Friendship, with registration TF-FIL,
crashed into the mountains of Mykines in the
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.
They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...
, in heavy fog, killing the Icelandic captain and seven Faroese passengers. 26 passenger and crew survived the crash. Three passengers, who escaped with minor injuries, hiked for an hour down the mountain to the village of
Mykines, alerting authorities. The majority of the villagers went up the mountain to aid the injured.
* On 30 January 1971,
Indian Airlines Fokker Friendship aircraft Ganga was hijacked by Hashim Quereshi and his cousin Ashraf Butt, and was flown to
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...
, Pakistan, where the passengers and crew were released and the aircraft was burnt on February 1, 1971.
* On 25 March 1978,
Fokker F-27 Friendship 200
The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner developed and manufactured by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker. It is the most numerous post-war aircraft manufactured in the Netherlands; the F27 was also one of the most successful Euro ...
XY-ADK lost altitude and crashed into a paddy field just after take-off from
Mingaladon Airport, killing all 48 people on board.
* On 14 September 1978, a
Philippine Air Force
The Philippine Air Force (PAF) ( tgl, Hukbong Himpapawid ng Pilipinas, , Army of the Air of the Philippines) ( es, Ejército Aérea del Filipinas, , Ejército de la Aérea de la Filipinas) is the aerial warfare service branch of the Armed Forc ...
F27 crashed due to
wind shear
Wind shear (or windshear), sometimes referred to as wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and/or direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere. Atmospheric wind shear is normally described as either vertical or horizontal ...
; 15 of the 24 people on board were killed, as well as 17 people on the ground.
* On 29 March 1979, an F27 operating as
Quebecair Flight 255
Quebecair Flight 255 was a scheduled flight from Quebec City to Montreal. On March 29, 1979, the Fairchild F-27, registered CF-QBL, that was operating the flight crashed minutes after takeoff when an engine exploded. All three crew and 14 of the ...
crashed minutes after taking off from
Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport
Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport, also known as Jean Lesage International Airport ( French: ''Aéroport international Jean-Lesage de Québec'', or ''Aéroport de Québec'') , is the primary airport serving Quebec City, Canada. Desig ...
in Canada. Seventeen people died and seven were injured.
* On 26 May 1980, a
Nigerian Air Force
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) is the air branch of the Nigerian Armed Forces. It is the youngest branch of the Nigerian Armed Forces.
It is one of the largest in Africa, consisting of about 15,000 personnel and aircraft including eight Chinese Che ...
F27 crashed due to a thunderstorm, killing all 30 people on board. The aircraft was carrying a delegation of military and government officials on a diplomatic mission.
* On 20 July 1981,
Somali Airlines Flight 40
Somali Airlines Flight 40 was a scheduled domestic Somali Airlines flight on 20 July 1981 from Mogadishu to Hargeisa in Somalia. The aircraft crashed a few minutes after takeoff, and all 44 passengers and six crew on board were killed.
Flight
On ...
crashed near Balad, Somalia. All 50 passengers and crew on board were killed.
* On 5 August 1984,
a Biman Bangladesh Airlines Fokker F27-600 crashed into a marsh near Zia International Airport (now
Shahjalal International Airport
Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport ( bn, হযরত শাহ্জালাল আন্তর্জাতিক বিমানবন্দর, Romanized: ''Hôzrôt Shahjalal Antôrjatik Bimanbôndôr'') ( formerly VGZR) is th ...
) in
Dhaka
Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...
, Bangladesh, while landing in poor weather.
With a total death toll of 49 people, it is the deadliest aviation disaster to occur on Bangladeshi soil.
* On 20 February 1986, an Iranian F27-600 commanded by Colonel Abdolbaghi Darvish was shot down by an Iraqi fighter jet. All 49 crew and passengers were killed. The aircraft was carrying a delegation of military and government officials on a mission.
* On 16 August 1986, a
Sudan Airways
Sudan Airways ( ar, الخطوط الجوية السودانية) is the national airline of Sudan, headquartered in Khartoum. Since 2012, the company has been fully owned by the Government of Sudan.
One of the oldest African carriers, it was ...
F27 was
shot down by the
Sudan People's Liberation Army
The South Sudan People's Defence Forces (SSPDF), formerly the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), is the army of the South Sudan, Republic of South Sudan. The SPLA was founded as a guerrilla movement against the government of Sudan in 198 ...
, killing all 60 people on board. The Shootdown remains the worst involving the F27 and in
South Sudan
South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the C ...
.
* On 23 October 1986, a Pakistan International Airlines F27 crashed while coming in to land in the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing 13 of the 54 people on board.
* On 21 June 1987, a
Burma Airways
Myanmar National Airlines ( my, မြန်မာအမျိုးသားလေကြောင်း ), formerly Union of Burma Airways, Burma Airways, and Myanma Airways, is a state-owned airline and the flag carrier of Myanmar, based in ...
Fokker F-27 Friendship 200 slammed into an 8200-ft-high mountain 15 minutes after take-off from
Heho Airport
Heho Airport ( my, ဟဲဟိုးလေဆိပ်) is an airport serving Heho, a town in Kalaw Township, Taunggyi District, Shan State, Myanmar. It is the main airport serving Inle Lake and Taunggyi the former of the top tourist destinati ...
, killing all 45 people on board.
* On 8 December 1987, in the
Alianza Lima air disaster, an F27 of the Peruvian Navy that was transporting the
Alianza Lima
Club Alianza Lima, popularly known as Alianza Lima or simply Alianza, is a Peruvian professional sports club based in La Victoria District of Lima, Peru. It is widely known for having one of the most historical and successful football teams i ...
football team crashed in Lima, Peru, killing the whole team.
* 11 October 1987, a
Burma Airways
Myanmar National Airlines ( my, မြန်မာအမျိုးသားလေကြောင်း ), formerly Union of Burma Airways, Burma Airways, and Myanma Airways, is a state-owned airline and the flag carrier of Myanmar, based in ...
Fokker F-27 Friendship 500 crashed into a 1500-ft-high mountain, killing all 49 people on board. This was Myanmar's second-deadliest air disaster, surpassed only by the
crash of a Myanmar Air Force Shaanxi Y-8 in 2017, which killed 122 people.
Thirty-six foreigners—14 Americans, seven Swiss citizens, five Britons, four Australians, three West Germans, two French citizens, and one Thai—were among the dead.
* On 19 October 1988 thirty-four died in a
Vayudoot
Vayudoot ( hi, वायुदूत, Vāyudūt, messenger who rides on the wind) was a regional airline in India established on 20 January 1981 as a joint-venture between the two state-owned carriers, Indian Airlines and Air India. The airline ...
F27 crash near
Guwahati
Guwahati (, ; formerly rendered Gauhati, ) is the biggest city of the Indian state of Assam and also the largest metropolis in northeastern India. Dispur, the capital of Assam, is in the circuit city region located within Guwahati and is the ...
, India.
* On 25 August 1989, a Pakistan International Airlines F27 operating as
Pakistan International Airlines Flight 404
Pakistan International Airlines Flight 404 was a Fokker F27 Friendship that disappeared shortly after takeoff on 25 August 1989. The aircraft presumably crashed somewhere in the Himalaya Mountains, Pakistan. All 54 people on board were lost and ...
and carrying 54 people disappeared after leaving Gilgit in northern Pakistan. The wreckage was never found.
*On 8 November 1995, an
Argentine Air Force
"Argentine Wings"
, mascot =
, anniversaries = 10 August (anniversary) 1 May (Baptism of fire during the Falklands War)
, equipment = 139 aircraft
, equipment_label =
, battles =
* Operation Independence
* Operation Soberanía
* Falklan ...
F27, tail number TC-72, operating a
LADE Lade may refer to:
People
* Brendon Lade (born 1976), an Australian rules footballer
* Sir John Lade (1759–1838), a baronet and Regency horse-breeder
* Heinrich Eduard von Lade (1817–1904), a German banker and amateur astronomer
* The Jarls ...
civilian flight from
Comodoro Rivadavia
Comodoro Rivadavia () is a city in the Patagonian province of Chubut in southern Argentina, located on the San Jorge Gulf, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, at the foot of the Chenque Hill. Comodoro Rivadavia is the most important city of the San ...
to
Córdoba, crashed () near the summit of
mount Champaquí
Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest.
Mount or Mounts may also refer to:
Places
* Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England
* Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, C ...
in Córdoba, killing all 52 passengers and crew.
* On 17 July 1997,
Sempati Air Flight 304
Sempati Air Flight 304 (SSR304) was a scheduled domestic passenger flight, flying from Husein Sastranegara International Airport in Bandung, West Java to Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta. On 17 July 1997, the aircraft operating the flight, ...
crashed at Bandung, West Java, shortly after take-off, when after an engine failure, the crew mishandled the return to the airport on one engine.
* On
27 January 1998, a
Myanma Airways Fokker F27
The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner developed and manufactured by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker. It is the most numerous post-war aircraft manufactured in the Netherlands; the F27 was also one of the most successful Euro ...
crashed while taking off from Yangon, Myanmar, killing 16 of the 45 people on board.
* On 24 August 1998,
Myanma Airways Flight 635 crashed into a hill on approach to
Tachilek Airport
Tachilek Airport or Tachileik Airport is an airport serving Tachilek (Tachileik), a town in the Shan State of eastern Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating ...
, killing all 36 on board.
* On 11 November 2002,
Laoag International Airlines Flight 585
Laoag International Airlines Flight 585 was a scheduled flight operated by Laoag International Airlines from Manila to Basco, Philippines via Laoag. On November 11, 2002, the Fokker F-27 Friendship crashed into Manila Bay shortly after takeoff ...
crashed into
Manila Bay
Manila Bay ( fil, Look ng Maynila) is a natural harbor that serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. Strategically located around the capital city of the Philippines, Manila Bay facilitated commerce and trade between the Phili ...
in the Philippines; 19 of the 34 people on board were killed.
* On 20 February 2003, a military F27 crashed in northwestern Pakistan, killing
Pakistan Air Force
, "Be it deserts or seas; all lie under our wings" (traditional)
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries = ...
Air Chief Marshal
Mushaf Ali Mir
Air Chief Marshal Mushaf Ali Mir ( Punjabi, Urdu: مصحف على مير; March 5, 1947– 20 February 2003) was an influential statesman and a four-star air force general who served as the Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force (PA ...
, his wife, and 15 others.
*
Pakistan International Airlines Flight 688
Pakistan International Airlines Flight 688 was a domestic passenger flight from Multan to Islamabad with a stopover in Lahore, operated by Pakistan's flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines. On 10 July 2006, the aircraft operating the route ...
, carrying 45 people, crashed 2–3 minutes after take-off from
Multan
Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab.
Multan is one of the List ...
airport on 10 July 2006, with no survivors. Engine fire was suspected as the cause of the crash.
* On 6 April 2009, an
Indonesian Air Force
The Indonesian Air Force ( id, Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Udara (TNI-AU), literally "''Indonesian National Military-Air Force''") sometimes shortened as IDAF / IdAF, is the aerial branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. The ...
F27 crashed in
Bandung
Bandung ( su, ᮘᮔ᮪ᮓᮥᮀ, Bandung, ; ) is the capital city of the Indonesian province of West Java. It has a population of 2,452,943 within its city limits according to the official estimates as at mid 2021, making it the fourth most ...
, Indonesia, killing all 24 occupants on board. The cause of the accident was said to be heavy rain. The aircraft reportedly crashed into a hangar during its landing procedure and killed all on board.
* On 21 June 2012, an Indonesian Air Force F27
crashed into a housing complex in the capital
Jakarta
Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...
, setting six houses on fire and killing at least 11 people.
* On 26 June 2022, a Cargo2Fly F27 5Y-CCE landed heavily on the runway at
Juba International Airport
Juba () is the capital and largest city of South Sudan. The city is situated on the White Nile and also serves as the capital of the Central Equatoria State. It is the world's newest capital city to be elevated as such, and had a population ...
,
South Sudan
South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the C ...
, with the undercarriage retracted after the aircraft failed to climb on takeoff. No injuries.
Aircraft on display
![PHFHF](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/PHFHF.JPG)
;Argentina
* T-42 ex-
Argentine Air Force
"Argentine Wings"
, mascot =
, anniversaries = 10 August (anniversary) 1 May (Baptism of fire during the Falklands War)
, equipment = 139 aircraft
, equipment_label =
, battles =
* Operation Independence
* Operation Soberanía
* Falklan ...
static display at the
Museo Nacional de Aeronautica de Argentina
;Australia
* 10132 – F27-109 is on static display at the
South Australian Aviation Museum
The South Australian Aviation Museum, located in Port Adelaide, South Australia, is an aviation museum which displays aircraft, aircraft engines, and rockets of relevance to South Australia, and the history of aviation and the aerospace industr ...
in Adelaide, South Australia. It was previously operated as VH-CAT by the
CSIRO
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an Australian Government
The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentar ...
as an atmospheric research aircraft.
* 10315 – F27-600QC is on static display at the Queensland Air Museum at
Caloundra Airport in Caloundra, Queensland. It was originally manufactured as an F27-400 and later redesignated as a -600QC. The aircraft was delivered new to Australia and spent most of its career operating for
Ansett.
* 10596 - F27-500 was delivered airworthy to the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society,
Illawarra Regional Airport
Shellharbour Airport, formerly Illawarra Regional Airport, also referred as Albion Park Aerodrome or Wollongong Airport, is an airport located in Albion Park Rail, Shellharbour City, New South Wales, Australia. The Historical Aircraft Restor ...
, New South Wales on 26 February 2018. It had been operated by
Airwork
Airwork is an aviation business based in Auckland, New Zealand. The Airwork Group is New Zealand's largest general aviation company. It focuses on fixed wing and helicopter maintenance, leasing, and operations working with private and public e ...
under contract to
New Zealand Post
NZ Post ( mi, Tukurau Aotearoa), shortened from New Zealand Post, is a state-owned enterprise responsible for providing postal service in New Zealand.
The New Zealand Post Office, a government agency, provided postal, banking, and telecommunica ...
.
Finland
* Finnish Air-Force 1st F27 "Ansa" is on static display at the
Satakunta Air Command
The Satakunta Air Command ( fi, Satakunnan Lennosto, abbr. ''SatLsto''; sv, Satakunta flygflottilj) is a peace-time Finnish Air Force unit. Its headquarters is not located in the Satakunta, present-day province of Satakunta, but in Satakunta (hi ...
garrison in
Pirkkala
Pirkkala (; sv, Birkala) is a municipality of Finland. It is located some south-west from Tampere in the Pirkanmaa region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is , which makes ...
, Finland. It was operated as FF-1 in the Finnish Air Force as both transport and signal reconnaissance plane. Prior military usage, the aircraft was operated briefly by
Karair
Karair was an airline from Finland. Initially having offered scheduled passenger flights, the company became a subsidiary of Finnair, mainly operating on holiday charter routes.
History
Originally called Karhumäki Airways, the company was fo ...
(later
Finnair
Finnair ( fi, Finnair Oyj, sv, Finnair Abp) is the flag carrier and largest airline of Finland, with its headquarters in Vantaa on the grounds of Helsinki Airport, its hub. Finnair and its subsidiaries dominate both domestic and internationa ...
) as OH-KFA. The aircraft was initially operated by
Iceland Air.
;
;
;Iceland
* 10545 – F27-200-MAR is on static display at the Akureyri Aviation Museum at
Akureyri Airport
Akureyri Airport ( is, Akureyrarflugvöllur , regionally also ) is a single-runway international airport in Akureyri, Iceland, south of the town centre. Icelandair and Norlandair link the airport with several domestic locations.
History
Schedul ...
. It was previously operated as TF-SYN by the
Icelandic Coast Guard
The Icelandic Coast Guard (, or simply ) is the Icelandic defence service responsible for search and rescue, maritime safety and security surveillance, and law enforcement in the seas surrounding Iceland. The Coast Guard maintains the Iceland ...
.
;Indonesia
![Fokker-F-27-Troopship](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/Fokker-F-27-Troopship.jpg)
* 10544 – F27-400M is on static display at the
Dirgantara Mandala Museum
Dirgantara Mandala Museum, officially known as the Central Museum of Indonesian Air Force "Dirgantara Mandala" is a central museum of the Indonesian Air Force. The museum displays historical exhibits related to the history of the Indonesian Air Fo ...
in
Yogyakarta
Yogyakarta (; jv, ꦔꦪꦺꦴꦒꦾꦏꦂꦠ ; pey, Jogjakarta) is the capital city of Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by a monarchy, ...
. It was previously operated as A-2707 by the
Indonesian Air Force
The Indonesian Air Force ( id, Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Udara (TNI-AU), literally "''Indonesian National Military-Air Force''") sometimes shortened as IDAF / IdAF, is the aerial branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. The ...
.
;Netherlands
* 10102 – F27-100 is on static display at the
Aviodrome
The Nationaal Luchtvaart-Themapark Aviodrome (also known simply as Aviodrome) is a large aerospace museum in the Netherlands that has been located on Lelystad Airport since 2003. Previously the museum was located at Schiphol Airport. in Lelystad. It was previously registered as PH-NVF, and is one of the prototype F27s, in whose colours it is painted.
* 10105 – F27-100 is also on static display at the Aviodrome. It was previously registered as PH-FHF, is the first production F27, and is painted in the colours of
NLM CityHopper
NLM CityHopper, full name Nederlandse Luchtvaart Maatschappij (Dutch Aviation Company), was a Dutch commuter airline, founded in 1966. Its head office was in Building 70 in Schiphol Airport East in Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands.
History
The carr ...
.
* 10449 – F27-500 is on static display at Fokker Logistics Park in Oude Meer. It was previously registered as N19XE and is painted as PH-NIV, the first prototype F27. It marks the former location of the Fokker factory at
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol , known informally as Schiphol Airport ( nl, Luchthaven Schiphol, ), is the main international airport of the Netherlands. It is located southwest of Amsterdam, in the municipality of Haarlemmermeer in the province ...
.
* C-10 – F27-300M is on static display at the
Militaire Luchtvaart Museum
The Militaire Luchtvaart Museum was located at Camp Zeist near the former Soesterberg Air Base. It was the official museum of the Royal Netherlands Air Force.
In 2006 the Ministry of Defence decided to merge three military museums in the Netherl ...
in
Soesterberg, Utrecht.
;New Zealand
* 10189 – F27-100 is on static display at the Ferrymead Aeronautical Society in
Ferrymead Heritage Park
Ferrymead Heritage Park is a museum in Christchurch, New Zealand, housing groups with historical themes, mainly transport related. Formerly known as Ferrymead Historic Park, it was founded in 1964 by groups, local government bodies and other i ...
in Christchurch. It was previously operated as ZK-BXG and is painted in National Airways Corporation colours.
* 10190 – F27-100 is on static display at the
National Transport and Toy Museum, Wanaka
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
. It was previously registered as ZK-BXH.
* 10286 – F27-100 is under restoration at the Chatham Islands Aviation Museum in
Waitangi, Chatham Islands
Waitangi is the main port and largest settlement of the Chatham Islands. It is situated on along the southern shore of Petre Bay, on the west coast of the archipelago's main island. With a population of 177 in the 2018 census, Waitangi is by ...
. It was previously registered as ZK-BXI.
;Norway
* 10298 – F27-100 is on static display at the
Flyhistorisk Museum, Sola near
Stavanger
Stavanger (, , American English, US usually , ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Norway. It is the fourth largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the a ...
; it was operated by
Braathens
Braathens ASA, until 1997 Braathens South American & Far East Airtransport A/S and trading as Braathens SAFE, was a Norwegian airline which operated from 1946 until it merged with Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) in 2004 to become SAS Braathens. ...
S.A.F.E and
Busy Bee
Busy Bee was an airline which operated in Norway between 1966 and 1992. Entirely based around wet lease, it conducted a mix of regional services for larger airlines and the military, as well as corporate, ''ad hoc'' and inclusive tour charters ...
as LN-SUF.
;Pakistan
* A
Pakistan International Airlines
Pakistan International Airlines ( ur, ; abbreviated PIA, ur, ) is an international airline that serves as the national flag carrier of Pakistan under the administrative control of the Secretary to the Government of Pakistan for Aviation. It ...
Fokker F27-200 is on display just outside Chitral airport at Fokker F27 Friendship Restaurant. The aircraft AP-AUR was operating Flight PK660 and was landing at Chitral in 2004 when its brakes failed causing the aircraft to overrun.
;United Kingdom
* 10196 – F27-200 is on static display at the
City of Norwich Aviation Museum in Horsham, St Faith. It was previously operated as G-BHMY by Air UK.
* 10201 – F27-500 is on static display at the City of Norwich Aviation Museum. It was previously operated as G-BCDN by Air UK before being retired to the KLM UK Engineering Technical College at Norwich Airport.
;United States
* 10367 – F27-500 is on static display at the
Hickory Aviation Museum
Hickory Aviation Museum is an aviation museum at the Hickory Regional Airport in Hickory, North Carolina. It features a museum located in the former airport terminal with artifacts, a hangar with aircraft and outdoor exhibits of aircraft on the ...
in Hickory, North Carolina. It was previously operated as N705FE by FedEx.
Specifications (F.27)
See also
References
Citations
Bibliography
"2010 World Airliner Census."''Flight International'', Retrieved: 21 January 2014.
* Eriksson, Sören and Harm-Jan Steenhuis. ''The Global Commercial Aviation Industry.'' Routledge, 2015. .
* "World Airliner Census". ''
Flight International
''Flight International'' is a monthly magazine focused on aerospace. Published in the United Kingdom and founded in 1909 as "A Journal devoted to the Interests, Practice, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and Transport", it is the world's oldes ...
'', Volume 184, Number 5403. 13–19 August 2013, pp. 40–58.
External links
Stork Aerospace HomepageF27 Friendship AssociationPhoto Gallery
Fokker F27 Info
{{Authority control
1950s Dutch airliners
F 27
Aircraft first flown in 1955
Twin-turboprop tractor aircraft
High-wing aircraft