 A DC-7C of TAI similar to the crash aircraft | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 24 September 1959 (1959-09-24) |
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain |
| Site | Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport, France 44°49′42″N 0°42′56″W / 44.8283°N 0.7156°W / 44.8283; -0.7156 |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Douglas DC-7C |
| Operator | Transports Aériens Intercontinentaux (TAI) |
| Registration | F-BIAP |
| Flight origin | Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport, France |
| Stopover | Bamako Airport, Mali |
| Destination | Abidjan, Ivory Coast |
| Occupants | 65 |
| Passengers | 56 |
| Crew | 9 |
| Fatalities | 54 |
| Injuries | 11 |
| Survivors | 11 |
TAI Flight 307 was a scheduled flight operated by Transports Aériens Intercontinentaux (TAI) between France and the Ivory Coast via Mali operated by a Douglas DC-7C. On 24 September 1959, the aircraft crashed during its departure from Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport, France when it flew into trees. All of the flight crew and 45 of the 56 passengers on board were killed; the other 11 passengers were seriously injured.
Accident
The DC-7C arrived at Bordeaux from Paris, making a scheduled stop on its route to West Africa. Following a two-hour stopover, departure from Bordeaux took place at 22:33 GMT. Weather at the time of departure was a 3-knot (3.5 mph) wind and light drizzle that did not significantly restrict visibility. Following takeoff, the aircraft reached an altitude of 30 metres (98 ft), and failed to climb further before flying into a pine forest located 2,950 metres (9,680 ft) from the end of the runway.
The aircraft cut a swath through the forest; some of the passengers were thrown clear of the wreckage as the fuselage broke up, before being destroyed in a post-crash fire. Because of the darkness and a lack of roads in the accident area, rescue workers had difficulty reaching the scene of the crash; their vehicles were unable to approach closer than 0.5 miles (0.80 km) to the impact site. Twelve survivors were taken to a hospital in Bordeaux; one later died despite medical care, bringing the total number of deaths caused by the crash to 54.
Aircraft
The aircraft involved in the accident, registered F-BIAP, was a Douglas DC-7C airliner powered by four Wright R-3350-30W radial piston engines. Delivered new to Transports Aériens Intercontinentaux on 9 November 1957, it carried manufacturer's serial number 45366.
Probable cause
The Investigation Board appointed to determine the cause of the crash reported that the accident was most likely caused by a combination of factors. Evidence from a reconstructed flight showed that with an increase in speed for a few seconds, the rate of climb of the aircraft will decrease; with a lack of visual references "a pilot may follow a line of flight that will bring the aircraft back near the ground if, during this period, optimum climbing speed is not maintained and the altimeter is not carefully watched".
References
- Citations
- ^ Civil Aviation Authority 1974, p. 18/59
- ^ "Bordeaux Air Crash Death Roll 53 – Three Britons feared dead". News. The Times. No. 54576. London. 26 September 1959. col G, p. 6.
- "Over 40 killed in French airliner – crash just after take-off". News. The Times. No. 54575. London. 25 September 1959. col D, p. 12.
- "Bordeaux". News in Brief. The Times. No. 54578. London. 29 September 1959. col G, p. 9.
- Eastwood 1991, p. 212
- Bibliography
- World Accident Summary. Civil Aviation Authority (United Kingdom). 1974. ISBN 0-903083-44-2.
- Eastwood, Tony; John Roach (1991). Piston Engine Airliner Production List. The Aviation Hobby Shop. ISBN 0-907178-37-5.
External links
- (in French) Rapport final de la commission d'enquete sur l'accident survenu, le 24 septembre 2959, a Bordeaux-Merignac, a l'avion DC 7 F-BIAP de la Compagnie T. A. I. - Posted at the website of the BEA (France), see profile
| Aviation accidents and incidents in 1959 (1959) | |
|---|---|
| Jan 8 Southeast Airlines Flight 308Jan 11 Lufthansa Flight 502Jan 16 Austral Líneas Aéreas Flight 205Jan 18 Aeroflot Flight 205Feb 3 American Airlines Flight 320Feb 3 Clear Lake crash ("The Day the Music Died")Feb 3 Pan Am Flight 115Feb 17 Turkish Airlines Gatwick crashApr 23 Air Charter Turkey crashMay 12 Capital Airlines Flight 75Jun 22 Pan Am Clipper PanamaJun 26 TWA Flight 891Jun 30 Okinawa F-100 crashAug 15 American Airlines Flight 514Aug 19 Transair Douglas Dakota accidentSep 24 TAI Flight 307Sep 29 Braniff Flight 542Oct 19 Washington Boeing 707 crashOct 23 Aeroflot Flight 200Oct 30 Piedmont Airlines Flight 349Nov 16 National Airlines Flight 967Nov 16 Aeroflot Flight 315Nov 21 Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 202Dec 1 Allegheny Airlines Flight 371Dec 4 San Diego F3H crash | |
| 1958 ◄ ► 1960 |