Air Vanuatu Flight 241

On 28 July 2018, Air Vanuatu Flight 241, operated by ATR-72 registration YJ-AV71 suffered an in-flight engine fire while operating a domestic scheduled passenger flight from Whitegrass Airport, Tanna to Bauerfield International Airport, Port Vila, Vanuatu. On landing at Port Vila, a runway excursion occurred. The aircraft collided with two Britten-Norman Islanders, writing one off and severely damaging the other. Thirteen of the 43 people on board sustained minor injuries.

Air Vanuatu Flight 241
Accident
Date28 July 2018 (2018-07-28)
SummaryRunway excursion; Under investigation
SiteBauerfield International Airport, Port Vila, Vanuatu
Total fatalities0
Total injuries13
Total survivors43
First aircraft

YJ-AV71, the aircraft involved in the accident, seen in March 2015.
TypeATR-72
OperatorAir Vanuatu
RegistrationYJ-AV71
Flight originWhitegrass Airport, Tanna Vanuatu
DestinationBauerfield International Airport, Port Vila, Vanuatu
Occupants43
Passengers39
Crew4
Fatalities0
Injuries13
Survivors43
Second aircraft

YJ-OO9, the aircraft involved, photographed in June 2009
TypeBritten-Norman Islander
OperatorUnity Airlines
RegistrationYJ-OO9
Occupants0
Third aircraft
TypeBritten-Norman Islander
OperatorAir Taxi
RegistrationYJ-AL2
Occupants0

Aircraft

The accident aircraft were:-

  • An ATR-72 of Air Vanuatu, registration YJ-AV71.[1] msn 720. The aircraft first flew on 6 June 2005.[2] At the time of the accident, it had accumulated 19,887 hours and 39 minutes flight time.[3]
  • A Britten-Norman Islander of Unity Airlines, registration YJ-OO9, msn 65. The aircraft had first flown on 11 April 1969.[1][4]
  • A Britten-Norman Islander of Air Taxi, registration YJ-AL2,[1][2] msn 609. It had first flown in 1971.[5]

Flight

Flight 241 was a domestic scheduled passenger flight from Whitegrass Airport, Tanna to Bauerfield International Airport, Port Vila Vanuatu. On 28 July 2018, the ATR-72 operating the flight suffered an engine fire in the right engine, while over the island of Erromango.[2] Smoke and flames were witnessed by passengers, with smoke entering the aircraft's cabin. The engine was shut down and the aircraft continued to Port Vila.[1] The pilots experienced difficulty controlling the aircraft, with uncommanded roll occurring.[3] On landing, the aircraft departed the runway and collided with two Britten-Norman Islander aircraft belonging to Air Taxi and Unity Airlines. The aircraft belonging to Air Taxi was severely damaged, with its vertical stabilizer ripped off.[1] It was damaged beyond repair.[4] That of Unity Airlines was also damaged beyond repair. Although nobody was injured in the collision, thirteen passengers were treated for smoke inhalation.[1] All four crew and 39 passengers on board evacuated the aircraft without injury. The pilots of the ATR-72 reported that they had no brakes or nose wheel steering, which they gave as the reason for the runway excursion and subsequent collision.[3]

Investigation

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vanuatu asked Papua New Guinea's Accident Investigation Commission to investigate the accident. It released a preliminary report on 10 August. Canada's Transportation Safety Board is assisting the investigation.[3]

See also

References
  1. Hradecky, Simon. "Accident: Vanuatu AT72 at Port Vila on Jul 28th 2018, engine fire, runway excursion, collision with 2 other aircraft". Aviation Herald. Archived from the original on 29 August 2018. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  2. "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  3. "Preliminary Report AIC 18-1002" (PDF). Accident Investigation Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 August 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  4. "YJ-OO9 hull loss description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
  5. "YJ-AL2 Non hull-loss description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
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