Dominicana DC-9 air disaster

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Dominicana DC-9 air disaster
PAWA Dominicana McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 HI-869 (4756) (4562634528).jpg
A DC-9-32, similar to the one involved in the accident, but of a different airline (named PAWA Dominicana).
Accident
DateFebruary 15, 1970 (1970-02-15)
SummaryEngine failure followed by loss of control
SiteCaribbean Sea near
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Aircraft
Aircraft typeMcDonnell Douglas DC-9-32
OperatorDominicana de Aviación
RegistrationHI-177
Flight originLas Américas International Airport, Santo Domingo
DestinationLuis Muñoz Marín International Airport, San Juan
Passengers97
Crew5
Fatalities102
Survivors0

The Dominicana DC-9 air disaster, also known as the Dominicana de Aviación Santo Domingo DC-9 air disaster, was an international flight (the flight number is unknown) that suffered a fatal accident on February 15, 1970. The McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 crashed shortly after takeoff from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic en route to San Juan, Puerto Rico. The crash killed all 102 passengers and crew on board.[1]

Aircraft[]

The aircraft, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 registered HI-177 (with serial number 47500 and serial 546), was built by McDonnell Douglas the previous year. It had its maiden flight on September 30, 1969. The aircraft was registered HI-177 and transferred to Dominicana on December 16 the same year.[2] The aircraft was powered by two Pratt & Whitney JT8D-7 turbofan engines.[1] It had been in service with Dominicana for less than a month (with only 354 flying hours) when it crashed.[3][4]

Accident[]

The jetliner was on an international flight from Las Américas International Airport near Santo Domingo, to San Juan's Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport. It took off at about 6:30 PM. Two minutes after departure one of its engines lost power. The crew declared an emergency, telling air traffic controllers that the right engine had flamed out, and they requested to immediately return to the airport. While the crew were preparing to turn back toward the airport, the left engine also flamed out. The aircraft then descended until it hit the sea about two miles south of the airport. There were no survivors among the 97 passengers and five crew members on board.[1][4][5]

Notable victims[]

Several famous passengers were among the dead, including:

Investigation[]

There were initially concerns of a terrorist attack as the family of Antonio Imbert Barrera was on board. However, the investigation concluded that the cause of the crash was the sequential failure of both engines caused by fuel pollution due to water ingress.[4] Both the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) were never found.[7]

Aftermath[]

This was not Dominicana's first fatal accident. Eight months before, on June 23, 1969, in Miami, Florida, Dominicana Flight 401 crashed after take-off also due to an engine failure. The Aviation Traders Carvair lost control and crashed into buildings, killing all four people on board as well as six people on the ground.[8][9]

Immediately after the Santo Domingo crash, Dominicana suspended all operations. Four of the airline's mechanics were reportedly arrested as well.[3] In addition, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) banned Dominicana aircraft from operating to the United States. The ban was lifted later in the year after Dominicana leased a replacement DC-9 aircraft, to be flown by crews from the Spanish airline Iberia.[3][10]

Dominicana eventually resumed full services, including to the United States. The airline flew until 1995 when it suspended services indefinitely, finally officially ceasing all operations during 1999.[citation needed]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Ranter, Harro; Gero, D. (2005-05-21). "ASN Aircraft accident McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 HI-177 Santo Domingo". Aviation Safety Network. Flight Safety Foundation. Retrieved 2008-11-23.
  2. ^ "HI-177 Dominicana McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 - cn 47500 / ln 546". planespotters.net. Planespotters.net. Retrieved 2014-12-20.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c "FAA Suspends Dominicana", Flight International, 19 March 1970, p.421 (PDF web archive version) retrieved 2021-06-02
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Una tragedia aérea que aún duele" [An aerial tragedy that still hurts] (in Spanish). El Nuevo Dia. 2012-02-12. Archived from the original on 2014-05-05. Retrieved 2014-12-20.
  5. ^ VALDEZ, ANTONIO (2013-02-15). "Se cumplen este viernes 43 años del accidente de Dominicana de Aviación" [43 years of the Dominican Aviation accident are fulfilled this Friday] (in Spanish). Periódico Digital Dominicano. Archived from the original on 2019-04-14. Retrieved 2014-12-20.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b "Crash stills title hopes". The Windsor Star. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  7. ^ "Crash of a Douglas DC-9-32 off Santo Domingo: 102 killed". baaa-acro.com. Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
  8. ^ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Aviation Traders ATL-98 Carvair HI-168 Miami International Airport, FL (MIA)". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 2019-09-14.
  9. ^ "DOMINICAN PLANE, WITH 102, CRASHES (Published 1970)". The New York Times. 1970-02-16. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  10. ^ "Dominicana to Resume", Flight International, 16 April 1970, p.615 (PDF web archive version) retrieved 2021-06-02

External links[]

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