Dominicana DC-9 air disaster

Dominicana DC-9 air disaster
A DC-9-32 operated by AeroRepublica, similar to the accident aircraft
Accident
Date February 15, 1970 (1970-02-15)
Summary Engine failure followed by loss of control
Site Caribbean Sea near Las Américas Int'l Airport
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Aircraft
Aircraft type McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32
Operator Dominicana de Aviación
Registration HI-177
Flight origin Santo Domingo-Las Américas International Airport (SDQ/MDSD)
Destination San Juan-Isla Verde International Airport (SJU/TJSJ)
Passengers 97
Crew 5
Fatalities 102
Survivors 0

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, killing all 102 passengers and crew on board. It is the second-deadliest aviation accident to occur in the Dominican Republic, behind Birgenair flight 301.

Aircraft

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

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. However, two minutes after take-off, the crew declared an emergency when they told air traffic controllers that the right engine had flamed out, and declared an emergency and requested to return to the airport immediately. However, while preparing to turn back towards the airport, the left engine flamed out. Having lost control, the aircraft descended rapidly and crashed into the Caribbean Sea about nearly two miles north of the airport. All 102 people on board were killed.[2][3][4]

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 onboard. 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.[3]

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, totaling 10 people.

Immediately after the Santo Domingo crash, Dominicana suspended all operations. Four of the airline's mechanics were arrested as well, reportedly.[6] In addition, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) banned the airline from operating to the United States.[6] The ban was lifted later the sameyear after Dominicana leased a replacement DC-9 aircraft from the Spanish airline Iberia, which was flown by crews from that airline.[7]

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.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "HI-177 Dominicana McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 - cn 47500 / ln 546". Planespotters.net. Retrieved 2014-12-20.
  2. 1 2 D. Gero (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.
  3. 1 2 3 "Una tragedia aérea que aún duele" (in Spanish). El Nuevo Dia. 2012-02-12. Retrieved 2014-12-20.
  4. ↑ ANTONIO VALDEZ (2013-02-15). "Se cumplen este viernes 43 años del accidente de Dominicana de Aviación" (in Spanish). Periódico Digital Dominicano. Retrieved 2014-12-20.
  5. 1 2 "The Windsor Star - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  6. 1 2 "FAA Suspends Dominicana", Flight International, 19 March 1970, p.421 (online archive version) retrieved 16 November 2012
  7. ↑ "Dominicana to Resume", Flight International, 16 April 1970, p.615 (online archive version) retrieved 16 November 2012

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