Cubana de Aviación Flight 9646

Cubana de Aviación Flight 9646 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]

Cubana de Aviación Flight 9646
A Cubana Il-62M similar to the one involved in the accident is seen here at Berlin Schönefeld Airport in 1990
Accident
Date3 September 1989
SummaryCrashed in takeoff, due to low altitude windshear and pilot error[1]
SiteHavana, Cuba
Total fatalities150
Aircraft
Aircraft typeIlyushin Il-62M
OperatorCubana
RegistrationCU-T1281
Flight originJosé Martí International Airport
StopoverMalpensa Airport
DestinationCologne Bonn Airport
Occupants126
Passengers115
Crew11
Fatalities126
Survivors0
Ground casualties
Ground fatalities24

Flight 9646 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]

Accident

The aircraft took off in heavy rain and wind gusts of 30–50 miles per hour (48–80 km/h).[2][4] 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][4] All 126 people on board —115 passengers, most of them Italian holidaymakers, and a crew of 11—[4][5] perished in the accident. An additional 24 people who were not aboard the aircraft and lived in the accident area also lost their lives as a result of the crash.[2]

Cause

Investigators attributed the crash of Flight 9646 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.[6]

Victims
  • 115 passengers
  • 11 crew members
  • 24 neighbours

Only one of the passengers, Luigi Capalbo, 22, of Parma, Italy, survived the crash initially. He fought for his life for 9 days but succumbed to his serious wounds on September 12th, 1989.[7][8]

See also

Notes
  1. According to Aviation Safety Network.[2] Another source informed the number of ground casualties to be 14.[3]

References
  1. "Cubana Il-62 crash report cites pilot error as cause". Flight International: 17. 23 September 1989. Archived from the original on 7 August 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  2. Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 7 August 2012.
  3. "Commercial Flight Safety – Fatal Accidents: Non-scheduled passenger flights". Flight International: 44. 17–23 January 1990. Archived from the original on 17 August 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  4. "Il-62 crashes". Flight International: 4. 9 September 1989. Archived from the original on 7 August 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  5. "Jet With 54 on Board Missing in Brazil: Disappears Over Amazon; Toll in Cuban Crash May Reach 150". 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. 
  6. Gero, David (1996). Aviation Disasters Second Edition. Patrick Stephens Limited. p. 212.
  7. "Only Survivor of Crash That Killed 150 Fights for Life". AP NEWS. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  8. "Only Survivor of Cuban Airliner Crash Dies". Los Angeles Times. 13 September 1989. Retrieved 24 May 2020.

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