1966 Flying Tiger Line Canadair CL-44 crash

1966 Flying Tiger Line Canadair CL-44 crash

N228SW, while still on lease with BOAC
Accident
Date	24 December 1966 (1966-12-24)
Summary	Controlled flight into terrain due to pilot error
Site	Da Nang, South Vietnam
Total fatalities	111
Total injuries	50
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Canadair CL-44
Operator	Flying Tiger Line
Registration	N228SW
Flight origin	Tachikawa Air Force Base, Tachikawa, Japan
Destination	Da Nang Airport, Da Nang, South Vietnam
Occupants	4
Passengers	0
Crew	4
Fatalities	4
Survivors	0
Ground casualties
Ground fatalities	107
Ground injuries	50

On December 24, 1966, a Flying Tiger Line Canadair CL-44 flying from Tachikawa Air Force Base in Japan to Da Nang Airport struck an obstacle, stalled, and crashed into Binh Tahi village, killing all four crew members and 107 people on the ground. The flight was on a subcontract for the United States Air Force. This was the first fatal accident fo the CL-44 and the deadliest as well.^{[1][2][3][4][a]}

Aircraft[]

The aircraft was a Canadair CL-44D4-1 with the serial number 31. The aircraft had its first flight on April 16, 1962 under the registration of CF-OFH-X. It was delivered to Seaboard World Airlines under the registration N228SW. It was leased to BOAC from September 30, 1963 to October 31, 1965, when it was returned to Seaboard World Airlines. From November 3, 1965, it was leased to Flying Tiger Line. The aircraft had a swing tail configuration with four Rolls-Royce Tyne 515 turboprop engines. A crew of four were aboard the aircraft.^[1]

Accident[]

The aircraft approached Da Nang Airport in rain and foggy conditions and low fuel tanks. The aircraft was on a flight carrying munitons and cargo for the United States Air Force. As the fuel tanks were near empty, aborting the landing was rendered impossible. At 19:50 local time, a kilometer south of the runway, the plane clipped trees and crashed into the village of Binh Tahi, plowing through 55 thatched huts over a distance of 275 meters. All four crew members were killed and 107 people were killed on the ground. 50 people on the ground were injured, 19 of them seriously.^[1][2][4]

Cause[]

The cause of the accident was a controlled flight into terrain. It was thought that the crew continued the approach under the glide path, probably due to the poor weather conditions during the flight. This resulted in the crash.^[4]

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