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West Caribbean Airways Flight 708 was a West Caribbean Airways
charter flight Air charter is the business of renting an entire aircraft (i.e., chartering) as opposed to individual aircraft seats (i.e., purchasing a ticket through a traditional airline). Regulation Charter – also called air taxi or ad hoc – flights ...
that crashed in northwest Venezuela in the early hours of Tuesday, 16 August 2005, killing all 160 passengers and crew on board. The plane, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, registration HK-4374X, was en route from
Tocumen International Airport Tocumen International Airport ( es, Aeropuerto Internacional de Tocumen) is the primary international airport serving Panama City, the capital of Panama. The airport serves as the homebase for Copa Airlines and is a regional hub to and from T ...
(PTY) in Panama City, Panama, to
Martinique Aimé Césaire International Airport Martinique Aimé Césaire International Airport (french: link=no, Aéroport international de Martinique-Aimé-Césaire, ) is the international airport of Martinique in the French West Indies. Located in Le Lamentin, a suburb of the capital For ...
(FDF) in Fort-de-France, Martinique, France. While flying at , the aircraft's speed gradually decreased until it entered an aerodynamic stall. The crew, probably under the mistaken belief that the aircraft had suffered a double engine flame-out, did not take the necessary actions to recover from the stall. The confusion and lack of action resulted in the crash. All the passengers were French citizens from Martinique, with the exception of one Italian, acting as the tour operator. The crew was Colombian. The flight was chartered by the Globe Trotters de Rivière Salée travel agency in Martinique. Most of the passengers were tourists returning from a week's vacation in Panama. The 160-person death toll made the accident the deadliest of 2005, the deadliest aviation disaster to occur in Venezuela, and the deadliest involving a McDonnell Douglas MD-82.


Background

Medellín-based West Caribbean Airways started as a charter service in 1998. It specialized in flights to San Andrés in the Caribbean, parts of the Colombian mainland, and Central America. A few months before the accident, the airline had been fined $46,000 for lack of pilot training and failure to log required flight data. The airline had experienced a previous fatal accident in March 2005. The aircraft involved in the incident was delivered to
Continental Airlines Continental Airlines, simply known as Continental, was a major United States airline founded in 1934 and eventually headquartered in Houston, Texas. It had ownership interests and brand partnerships with several carriers. Continental started o ...
on 4 November 1986 as N72824, which operated it until around 2001. At this point, the airframe was put into storage in the California desert for four years, and eventually purchased by MK Aviation, a United States-based company. On 10 January 2005, the aircraft was transferred to West Caribbean Airways, and registered as HK-4374X, leased to WCA by MK Aviation. The jet's tail cone fell off in early July 2005 and was replaced. The captain of flight 708 was 40-year-old Omar Ospina, and the first officer was 21-year-old David Muñoz. The captain had 5,942 hours of flight experience (including 1,128 hours on the MD-82), and the first officer 1,341 hours, with 862 of them on the MD-82.


Accident

Flight 708 took off from Tocumen International Airport at 00:58 local time (05:58 UTC). It climbed initially to flight level 310 (), and subsequently to FL 330. The aircraft reached FL 330 (nominally ) at 01:44. Five minutes later, the crew turned the aircraft's anti-icing systems back on (having turned them off during the final part of the climb). The system uses
bleed air Bleed air is compressed air taken from the compressor stage of a gas turbine upstream of its fuel-burning sections. Automatic air supply and cabin pressure controller (ASCPCs) valves bleed air from high or low stage engine compressor sections. Low ...
from the engines, and this reduces the thrust they can produce. With the anti-ice system on, the highest altitude at which the aircraft could maintain level flight was reduced to . The aircraft was being flown too high for its weight and the icing conditions it faced. The captain noticed the reduction in engine output, but he did not realize the source of the problem, so he started a rapid descent as a precaution. At that time, the airspeed was already near stall speed, and the
autopilot An autopilot is a system used to control the path of an aircraft, marine craft or spacecraft without requiring constant manual control by a human operator. Autopilots do not replace human operators. Instead, the autopilot assists the operator' ...
had already compensated with a nose-up attitude ( angle of attack, or AOA) of 5.8° in an effort to maintain a constant altitude. West Caribbean, like all owners of the MD-82, had received an operation bulletin from the planes' manufacturer three years earlier, warning that the autopilot could try to compensate for inadequate speed, even allowing the speed to continue to drop towards a stall situation, without sending a warning or disconnecting; the bulletin advised pilots simply to monitor airspeed during autopilot level flight, but West Caribbean had not shared this bulletin with its pilots. Already approaching a stall condition, the airliner was pummeled by sudden turbulence, reducing the airflow into the intakes of the engines, which reduced thrust even more. The flow of air over the wing of the aircraft became stalled. Although the
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 ...
picked up the first officer correctly diagnosing the situation as a stall and attempting twice to communicate this to the captain, the captain was likely confused by the unusual behavior of the engines, due to the anti-ice system and probably the airflow disruption caused by turbulence. The captain thought he was struggling with an engine
flameout In aviation, a flameout (or flame-out) is the run-down of a jet engine or other turbine engine due to the extinction of the flame in its combustor. The loss of flame can have a variety of causes, such as fuel starvation, excessive altitude, compr ...
, which he told the first officer to communicate to the ground controller, and did not recognize the stall situation; he then mishandled the stall by increasing the nose-up attitude to an AOA of 10.6°, which compounded the drop in airflow to the engines and further exacerbated the stall. In less than three minutes, the aircraft plunged from over , reaching a maximum rate of descent of over , crashing belly-first and exploding at 07:01 UTC. The crash site was in a field on a cattle ranch near Machiques, in the western
Zulia State Zulia State ( es, Estado Zulia, ; Wayuu: ''Mma’ipakat Suuria'') is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. The state capital is Maracaibo. As of the 2011 census, it has a population of 3,704,404, the largest population among Venezuela's states. It ...
, Venezuela (about from the Colombian border).


Timeline

All times are UTC. (For local time in Panama and Colombia, subtract 5 hours; for Venezuela subtract 4:30 hours; for Martinique, subtract 4.) *06:00 Flight 708 departs from Panama en route to Martinique. *06:51 Crew reports trouble in one engine. *06:58 Crew requests and receives permission to descend from . *06:59 Crew sends
distress call A distress signal, also known as a distress call, is an internationally recognized means for obtaining help. Distress signals are communicated by transmitting radio signals, displaying a visually observable item or illumination, or making a soun ...
: both engines malfunctioning, aircraft uncontrollable. *07:00 Plane crashes near Machiques, Venezuela.


Investigation

The '' Air Accident Investigation Committee'' (CIAA, ) of Venezuela led the investigation into the causes of the accident. The French
Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety The Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA, ) is an agency of the French government, responsible for investigating aviation accidents and incidents and making safety recommendations based on what is learned from those inve ...
(BEA, ) was assigned the main responsibility for investigative analysis of the flight data recorder and the
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 ...
(CVR), with the United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) also taking part in recovery of FDR data. On 22 November 2005, the CIAA released an initial report (significantly changed by the time of the final report) suggesting that a buildup of
ice Ice is water frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 degrees Celsius or Depending on the presence of impurities such as particles of soil or bubbles of air, it can appear transparent or a more or less opaq ...
inside each engine's PT2 probe was partly responsible for the accident. Analysis of the CVR showed that the crew discussed weather conditions, including icing, and continually requested and performed descents, which is the usual response to a low power or low airspeed situation. Analysis of the debris showed that both engines were rotating at normal speed at the time of impact, which enabled investigators to conclude that the engines had not been previously damaged, and were functioning at the time of impact. Ground scars showed that the aircraft impacted in a nose-high attitude. The CIAA, which by then had been renamed the '' Civil Aviation Accident Investigation Board'' (JIAAC, ), released their final report into the accident and found the probable underlying causes of the crash to be the result of
pilot error Pilot error generally refers to an accident in which an action or decision made by the pilot was the cause or a contributing factor that led to the accident, but also includes the pilot's failure to make a correct decision or take proper ac ...
. Underscoring the finding listing pilot error as a cause, the JIAAC noted a lack of both situational awareness and
crew resource management Crew resource management or cockpit resource management (CRM)Diehl, Alan (2013) "Air Safety Investigators: Using Science to Save Lives-One Crash at a Time." Xlibris Corporation. . http://www.prweb.com/releases/DrAlanDiehl/AirSafetyInvestigators/ ...
(CRM), which would have better enabled the crew to properly respond to the stall and the severity of the emergency. The report stressed that the crew failed to operate the aircraft within its normal parameters. This resulted in the crew failing to recover from the stall due to poor decision-making and poor communication between the pilots. In addition, West Caribbean Airways came under criticism: West Caribbean failed to provide its pilots with the operation bulletin from Boeing, specifically addressing the autopilot issue; failed to emphasize CRM in ongoing pilot training; created stress for its pilots by not providing regular paychecks for a period of nearly six months leading up to the accident; and further created stress for the accident crew when the airplane was delayed and almost refused takeoff at their previous stop due to West Caribbean's non-payment of catering and food service fees.


Aftermath

As a result of the crash, West Caribbean Airways was grounded by the CAEAC just one day after the crash occurred. The airline subsequently went bankrupt in October 2005.


Media and popular culture


Dramatization

The hourlong
Discovery Channel Canada Discovery Channel (often referred to as simply Discovery) is a Canadian specialty television channel owned by CTV Speciality Television Inc. (a joint venture between Bell Media/ESPN Inc. (80%) and Warner Bros. Discovery (which owns the remaining ...
TV series '' Mayday'' (other titles in other countries) featured the crash and investigation in a season-11 episode titled " The Plane That Flew Too High". The episode title references the fact that the cruising altitude of was too high for the aircraft's weight in the weather conditions it faced. In 2010, the documentary ''Panamá-Fort-de-France : autopsie d'un crash'', anamá-Fort-de-France: autopsy of a crash(in French) by Stéphane Gabet and Luc David, traces the event, as well as the investigation. A short film, ''Crossing Away'', produced for the 10th anniversary of the Martinique-Panama plane crash, was not released until 2017.


In music

* "''On n'oublie pas''" on't Forget (tribute to the 152 Martinique victims), 2014, written by Serge Bilé, sung by several artists and personalities including Jocelyne Beroard,
Alpha Blondy Seydou Koné (; born January 1, 1953 in Dimbokro), better known by his stage name Alpha Blondy, is an Ivorian reggae singer and international recording artist. Many of his songs are politically and socially motivated, and are mainly sung in ...
,
Harry Roselmack Harry Roselmack (born 20 March 1973 in Tours) is a French radio and TV journalist of Martiniquan descent. Career Harry Roselmack graduated with degrees in History ( DEUG) and Journalism (DUT). He began to work for a local radio station, durin ...
and
Admiral T Admiral T, whose real name is Christy Campbell, is a French singer of reggae-dancehall music. He is one of the most popular and successful Guadeloupean singers. He is also a designer and the creator of the clothing trademark WOK LINE. Biograph ...
, to remember this event and to help the AVCA, the association of the victims of the air disaster, to raise funds.


See also

* Airborne Express Flight 827, a DC-8 crash where the crew decreased the aircraft's speed until it entered a stall *
Northwest Airlines Flight 255 On August 16, 1987 a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, operating as Northwest Airlines Flight 255, crashed shortly after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, about 8:46 pm EDT (00:46 UTC August 17), resulting in the deaths of all six crew me ...
, the MD-82's previous deadliest aviation disaster, which occurred exactly 18 years previously *
Spanair Flight 5022 Spanair Flight 5022 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Barcelona–El Prat Airport to Gran Canaria Airport, Spain, via Madrid–Barajas Airport that crashed just after take-off from runway 36L at Madrid Airport at 14:24  CES ...
, the MD-82's third-deadliest aviation disaster, which occurred about 3 years later *
Southern Airways Flight 242 Southern Airways Flight 242 was a flight from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to Atlanta, Georgia, with a stop in Huntsville, Alabama. On April 4, 1977, it executed a forced landing on Georgia State Route 381 in New Hope, Paulding County, Georgia, Uni ...
, a DC-9 (the aircraft type the MD-80 was based on) crash involving heavy weather and engine problems *
Viasa Flight 742 Viasa Flight 742 was an international, scheduled passenger flight from Caracas, Venezuela to Miami International Airport with an intermediate stopover in Maracaibo, Venezuela that crashed on 16 March 1969. After taking off on the Maracaibo to Miam ...
, Venezuela's previous deadliest aviation disaster *
Air France Flight 447 Air France Flight 447 (AF447 or AFR447) was a scheduled international passenger flight from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Paris, France. On 1 June 2009, inconsistent airspeed indications led to the pilots inadvertently stalling the Airbus A330 ser ...
, Indonesia Air Asia Flight 8501,
Yemenia Flight 626 Yemenia Flight 626 was an Airbus A310-324 twin-engine jet airliner operated by Yemenia that was flying a scheduled international service, from Sana'a in Yemen to Moroni in Comoros, when it crashed on 30 June 2009 at around 1:50 am local t ...
,
British European Airways Flight 548 British European Airways Flight 548 was a scheduled passenger flight from London Heathrow to Brussels that crashed near Staines, Surrey, England, soon after take-off on 18 June 1972, killing all 118 people on board. The accident became known as ...
, United Airlines Flight 2885,
Turkish Airlines Flight 1951 Turkish Airlines Flight 1951 (also known as the Poldercrash or the Schiphol Polderbaan incident) was a passenger flight that crashed during landing at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, the Netherlands, on 25 February 2009, resulting in the deaths of n ...
,
Aeroflot Flight 7425 Aeroflot Flight 5143 was a domestic scheduled Karshi–Ufa–Leningrad passenger flight that crashed near Uchkuduk, Uzbek SSR, Soviet Union, on 10 July 1985. The crash killed all 200 occupants (148 adults, including 9 crewmembers, and 52 chil ...
and
Colgan Air Flight 3407 Colgan Air Flight 3407 (marketed as Continental Connection Flight 3407 under a codeshare agreement with Continental Airlines), was a scheduled passenger flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Buffalo, New York, which crashed on February 12, 2009. Th ...
, all planes that stalled due to pilot error, leading to a crash. *
Catatumbo lightning Catatumbo lightning ( es, Relámpago del Catatumbo) is an atmospheric phenomenon that occurs over the mouth of the Catatumbo River where it empties into Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela. Catatumbo means "House of Thunder" in the language of the Bari p ...
, a weather phenomenon common in the area of the crash site.


References


External links

* * Civil Aviation Accident Investigation Board
Main text of the final ReportArchive
– Unofficial English translation hosted at SKYbrary – Annexes 3, 6, and 7 of the full report are in English, and are in the original Spanish report and th
French translated report by the BEA

Final Report

ArchiveAltArchive
– Official version and the version of reference * National Transportation Safety Board
Factual report
*
Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety The Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA, ) is an agency of the French government, responsible for investigating aviation accidents and incidents and making safety recommendations based on what is learned from those inve ...
: *
Accident in Machiques (Venezuela) on 16 August 2005
." *
Accident survenu au Venezuela le 16 août 2005
"
Archive

English summary of the final reportArchive




{{Aviation incidents and accidents in 2005 2005 meteorology 2005 in Venezuela Airliner accidents and incidents caused by pilot error Aviation accidents and incidents in 2005 Aviation accidents and incidents in Venezuela Accidents and incidents involving the McDonnell Douglas MD-82 August 2005 events in South America Colombia–Venezuela relations Airliner accidents and incidents caused by stalls