1970 Dominicana de Aviación DC-9 crash

(Redirected from Dominicana DC-9 air disaster) 1970 aviation accident in the Dominican Republic

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Dominicana de Aviación Flight 603
Accident
HI177, the aircraft involved in the accident
Date	February 15, 1970 (1970-02-15)
Summary	Dual-engine failure followed by loss of control
Site	Caribbean Sea, near Las Américas International Airport, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Aircraft
Aircraft type	McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32
Operator	Dominicana de Aviación
Registration	HI177
Flight origin	Las Américas International Airport, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Destination	Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Occupants	102
Passengers	97
Crew	5
Fatalities	102
Survivors	0

On February 15, 1970, a Dominicana de Aviación McDonnell Douglas DC-9 enroute from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic to San Juan, Puerto Rico crashed into the Caribbean Sea shortly after takeoff. The crash killed all 102 passengers and crew on board, making it the deadliest aviation disaster to occur in the Dominican Republic until 1996 when Birgenair Flight 301 also crashed into the Caribbean Sea, leaving 189 dead.

Aircraft

The aircraft, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 registered HI177 (with serial number 47500 and line number 546), was built by McDonnell Douglas the previous year. The aircraft was powered by two Pratt & Whitney JT8D-7 turbofan engines. It had been in service with Dominicana for less than a month (with only 354 flying hours) when it crashed.

Accident

The airliner was on an international flight from Las Américas International Airport near Santo Domingo, to San Juan's Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport. The flight 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 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 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.

Notable victims

Several famous passengers were among the dead, including:

Former world lightweight boxing champion Carlos Cruz, who was flying alongside his wife and their two children back to San Juan for a fight against Roger Zami.
The coach and eleven players of the Puerto Rico women's national volleyball team, who were returning home after a friendly game against the Dominican Republic women's national volleyball team.

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. Neither the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) or flight data recorder (FDR) was ever found.

Aftermath

Immediately after the Santo Domingo crash, Dominicana suspended all operations. Four of the airline's mechanics were reportedly arrested as well. 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.

Dominicana eventually resumed full services, including to the United States. The airline flew until 1995 when the government of Joaquín Balaguer forced it to suspend services indefinitely, officially ceasing all operations in 1999.

References

^ 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. Archived from the original on 2005-04-10. Retrieved 2008-11-23.
^ "FAA Suspends Dominicana" (PDF). Flight International. 19 March 1970. p. 421. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-12-20. Retrieved 2021-06-02.
^ "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.
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.
^ "Crash stills title hopes". The Windsor Star. United Press International. 1970-02-14. Archived from the original on 2015-12-26. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
"Crash of a Douglas DC-9-32 off Santo Domingo: 102 killed". baaa-acro.com. Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives. Archived from the original on 2020-08-12. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
"Dominicana to Resume" (PDF). Flight International. 16 April 1970. p. 615. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-12-20. Retrieved 2021-06-02.
Pascal, Hugo Bueno (14 June 2023). "El nacimiento, renacer y desaparición de Dominicana de Aviación (CDA) – y 9-" [The birth, rebirth and disappearance of Dominican Aviation (CDA) – and 9-]. Acento (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 January 2024.

External links

McDonnell Douglas DC-9 family

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Boeing 717

Military

Accidents and
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Topics

Operators
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v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in 1970 (1970)
Jan 5 Spantax Convair crashJan 28 Batagay An-24 crashJan 29 Aeroflot Flight 145Feb 2 Cornfield Bomber crash landingFeb 4 Aerolineas Argentinas Flight 707Feb 4 TAROM Flight 35Feb 6 Aeroflot Flight U-45Feb 15 Dominicana DC-9 disasterFeb 21 Swissair Flight 330Mar 14 Paraense Transportes Aéreos Flight 903Mar 17 Eastern Air Lines Shuttle Flight 1320Mar 31 Japan Airlines Flight 351Apr 1 Aeroflot Flight 1661Apr 1 Berrechid crashApr 21 Philippine Airlines Flight 215May 2 ALM Flight 980May 15 Dymshits–Kuznetsov hijacking affairJul 3 Dan-Air Flight 1903Jul 5 Air Canada Flight 621Jul 18 Soviet Air Force Antonov An-22Jul 22 Olympic Airways Flight 255 hijackingJul 27 Flying Tiger Line Flight 45Aug 9 LANSA Flight 502Aug 12 China Airlines Flight 206Sep 2 Aeroflot Flight 3630Sep 6 Dawson's Field hijackingsSep 8 Trans International Airlines Flight 863Sep 26 Flugfélag Íslands Flight 704Oct 2 Wichita State Univ football teamOct 15 Aeroflot Flight 244Nov 14 Southern Airways Flight 932Nov 27 Capitol International Airways Flight C2C3/26
1969 ◄ ► 1971

Aviation accidents and incidents in 1970 (1970)

Jan 5 Spantax Convair crashJan 28 Batagay An-24 crashJan 29 Aeroflot Flight 145Feb 2 Cornfield Bomber crash landingFeb 4 Aerolineas Argentinas Flight 707Feb 4 TAROM Flight 35Feb 6 Aeroflot Flight U-45Feb 15 Dominicana DC-9 disasterFeb 21 Swissair Flight 330Mar 14 Paraense Transportes Aéreos Flight 903Mar 17 Eastern Air Lines Shuttle Flight 1320Mar 31 Japan Airlines Flight 351Apr 1 Aeroflot Flight 1661Apr 1 Berrechid crashApr 21 Philippine Airlines Flight 215May 2 ALM Flight 980May 15 Dymshits–Kuznetsov hijacking affairJul 3 Dan-Air Flight 1903Jul 5 Air Canada Flight 621Jul 18 Soviet Air Force Antonov An-22Jul 22 Olympic Airways Flight 255 hijackingJul 27 Flying Tiger Line Flight 45Aug 9 LANSA Flight 502Aug 12 China Airlines Flight 206Sep 2 Aeroflot Flight 3630Sep 6 Dawson's Field hijackingsSep 8 Trans International Airlines Flight 863Sep 26 Flugfélag Íslands Flight 704Oct 2 Wichita State Univ football teamOct 15 Aeroflot Flight 244Nov 14 Southern Airways Flight 932Nov 27 Capitol International Airways Flight C2C3/26

1969 ◄ ► 1971

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