Cubana de Aviación Flight 9046
Cubana de Aviación Flight 9046 was a chartered Ilyushin Il-62M airliner (registered CU-T1281) operated by Cubana, which crashed on 3 September 1989, shortly after takeoff from José Martí International Airport.[2]
A Cubana Il-62M similar to the one involved in the accident is seen here at Berlin Schönefeld Airport in 1990 | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 3 September 1989 |
| Summary | Crashed on takeoff, due to low altitude windshear and pilot error[1] |
| Site | Havana, Cuba 23°00′43″N 82°22′48″W / 23.012°N 82.380°W |
| Total fatalities | 150 |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Ilyushin Il-62M |
| Operator | Cubana |
| Registration | CU-T1281 |
| Flight origin | José Martí International Airport |
| Stopover | Malpensa Airport |
| Destination | Cologne Bonn Airport |
| Occupants | 126 |
| Passengers | 115 |
| Crew | 11 |
| Fatalities | 126 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Ground casualties | |
| Ground fatalities | 24 |
Flight 9046 was due to operate a non-scheduled international Havana–Milan–Cologne passenger service. The crash resulted in the deaths of all 126 occupants of the aircraft plus 24 people on the ground.[nb 1] It is the worst aviation disaster to have ever occurred in Cuba.[4]
Accident edit
The aircraft took off in heavy rain and wind gusts of 30–50 miles per hour (48–80 km/h).[2][5] The crew retracted the flaps from their initial 30° position to 15°, in an attempt to gain speed, but this action reduced the ability of the wing to provide lift.[1] The aircraft climbed to about 53 metres (174 ft), where it was hit by a downdraft that caused the airframe to strike the end of the runway, subsequently hitting a navigational facility and a small hill before crashing into a residential area, about one minute after takeoff.[1][2][5] All 126 people on board —115 passengers, most of them Italian holidaymakers, and a crew of 11—[5][6] perished in the accident. An additional 24 people who were not aboard the aircraft also died as a result of the crash.[2]
Cause edit
Investigators attributed the crash of Flight 9046 to the pilot's decision to fly after an abrupt deterioration in the meteorological conditions. The pilot underestimated the risks of taking off, and misjudged the aircraft's performance in poor weather.[7]
Victims edit
- 115 passengers
- 11 crew members
- 24 on the ground
Only one of the passengers survived the crash initially. He lived for nine days but succumbed to his injuries afterwards.[8][9]
See also edit
Notes edit
- ^ According to Aviation Safety Network.[2] Another source informed the number of ground casualties to be 14.[3]
References edit
- ^ a b c . Flight International: 17. 23 September 1989. Archived from the original on 15 January 2013. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
- ^ a b c d e Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 7 August 2012.
- ^ . Flight International: 44. 17–23 January 1990. Archived from the original on 30 December 2013. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
- ^ "Cuba plane crash leaves more than 100 dead". BBC News. 18 May 2018.
Cuba's deadliest air crash was in 1989, when a Soviet-made Ilyushin-62M passenger plane crashed near Havana killing 126 people on board and another 24 people on the ground.
- ^ a b c . Flight International: 4. 9 September 1989. Archived from the original on 15 January 2013. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
- ^ . Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. 5 September 1989. Archived from the original on 22 March 2015.
It was carrying 113 Italians, two Cubans and a crew of 11, said the Cuban ambassador to Rome, Javier Ardizones.
- ^ Gero, David (1996). Aviation Disasters Second Edition. Patrick Stephens Limited. p. 212.
- ^ "Only Survivor of Crash That Killed 150 Fights for Life". AP NEWS. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
- ^ "Only Survivor of Cuban Airliner Crash Dies". Los Angeles Times. 13 September 1989. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
External links edit
- Accident history for Havana José Martí International Airport at Aviation Safety Network
- . The New York Times. Associated Press. 4 September 1989. Archived from the original on 28 July 2014.