West Caribbean Airways Flight 708

2005 aviation accident in Venezuela

West Caribbean Airways Flight 708
Accident
HK-4374X, the aircraft involved, photographed on 27 July 2005, 20 days before the accident
Date	16 August 2005 (2005-08-16)
Summary	Deep stall due to pilot error
Site	Machiques, Zulia, Venezuela 9°39′59″N 72°36′40″W / 9.66639°N 72.61111°W / 9.66639; -72.61111
Aircraft
Aircraft type	McDonnell Douglas MD-82
Operator	West Caribbean Airways (chartered by the Globe Trotters de Rivière Salée travel agency)
IATA flight No.	YH708
ICAO flight No.	WCW708
Call sign	WHISKY CHARLIE WHISKY 708
Registration	HK-4374X
Flight origin	Tocumen International Airport, Panama
Destination	Martinique Aimé Césaire Int'l Airport, Martinique
Occupants	160
Passengers	152
Crew	8
Fatalities	160
Survivors	0

West Caribbean Airways Flight 708 was a charter flight that crashed in northwest Venezuela in the early hours of 16 August 2005, killing all 160 passengers and crew on board. The plane, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, registration HK-4374X, was en route from Tocumen International Airport (PTY) in Panama City, Panama, to Martinique Aimé Césaire International Airport (FDF) in Fort-de-France, Martinique, France. While flying at 33,000 ft (10,000 m), the aircraft's speed gradually decreased until it entered an aerodynamic stall. The crew, probably under the mistaken belief that the aircraft had suffered a double engine flameout, did not take the necessary actions to recover from the stall. The confusion and lack of action resulted in the crash.

The death toll made the accident the deadliest of 2005, the deadliest aviation disaster to occur in Venezuela, and the second deadliest involving a McDonnell Douglas MD-80 series.

Background

Medellín-based West Caribbean Airways started as a charter service in 1998. It specialized in flights to San Andrés in the Caribbean, parts of the Colombian mainland, and Central America. A few months before the accident, the airline had been fined $46,000 for lack of pilot training and failure to log required flight data. The airline had experienced a previous fatal accident in March 2005.

The aircraft involved in the accident was a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, originally delivered to Continental Airlines in 1986 as N72824. It was put into storage for 3 years, and then sold to West Caribbean in early 2005.

The captain of flight 708 was 40-year-old Omar Ospina, and the first officer was 21-year-old David Muñoz. The captain had 5,942 hours of flight experience (including 1,128 hours on the MD-82), and the first officer 1,341 hours, with 862 of them on the MD-82.

All the passengers were French citizens from Martinique, with the exception of one Italian, acting as the tour operator. All the crew members were Colombian. The flight was chartered by the Globe Trotters de Rivière Salée travel agency in Martinique. Most of the passengers were tourists returning from a week's vacation in Panama.

Accident

Flight 708 took off from Tocumen International Airport at 00:58 local time (05:58 UTC). It climbed initially to flight level 310 (31,000 feet or 9,400 metres). At 01:39, the pilots were cleared to climb from 31,000 to 33,000 feet. The aircraft reached FL 330 (nominally 33,000 feet or 10,000 metres) at 01:44.

Five minutes later, the crew turned the aircraft's anti-icing systems back on (having turned them off during the final part of the climb). The system uses bleed air from the engines, and this reduces the thrust they can produce. With the anti-ice system on, the highest altitude at which the aircraft could maintain level flight was reduced to 31,900 ft (9,700 m). The aircraft was being flown too high for its weight and the icing conditions it faced.

The captain noticed the reduction in engine output, but he did not realize the source of the problem, so he started a rapid descent as a precaution. At that time, the airspeed was already near stall speed, and the autopilot had already compensated with a nose-up attitude (angle of attack, or AOA) of 5.8° in an effort to maintain a constant altitude. West Caribbean, like all owners of the MD-82, had received an operation bulletin from the plane's manufacturer three years earlier, warning that the autopilot could try to compensate for inadequate speed, even allowing the speed to continue to drop towards a stall situation, without sending a warning or disconnecting; the bulletin advised pilots simply to monitor airspeed during autopilot level flight, but West Caribbean had not shared this bulletin with its pilots. Already approaching a stall condition, the airliner was pummeled by sudden turbulence, reducing the airflow into the intakes of the engines, which reduced thrust even more. The flow of air over the wing of the aircraft became stalled. Although the cockpit voice recorder picked up the first officer correctly diagnosing the situation as a stall and attempting twice to communicate this to the captain, the captain was likely confused by the unusual behavior of the engines due to the anti-ice system and probably the airflow disruption caused by turbulence. The captain thought he was struggling with an engine flameout, which he told the first officer to communicate to the ground controller, and did not recognize the stall situation; he then mishandled the stall by increasing the nose-up attitude to an AOA of 10.6°, which compounded the drop in airflow to the engines and further exacerbated the stall. In less than three minutes, the aircraft plunged from over 33,000 ft (10,000 m), reaching a maximum rate of descent of over 300 ft/s (90 m/s), crashing belly-first and exploding at 2:00:31 local time (07:00:31 UTC). The crash site was in a field on a cattle ranch near Machiques, in the western Zulia State, Venezuela (about 30 kilometres or 19 miles or 16 nautical miles from the Colombian border).

Timeline

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All times are UTC. (For local time in Panama and Colombia, subtract 5 hours; for Venezuela subtract 4:30 hours; for Martinique, subtract 4.)

06:00 Flight 708 departs from Panama en route to Martinique.
06:51 Crew reports trouble in one engine.
06:58 Crew requests and receives permission to descend from 31,000 to 14,000 ft (9,400 to 4,300 m).
06:59 Crew sends distress call: both engines malfunctioning, aircraft uncontrollable.
07:00 Plane crashes near Machiques, Venezuela.

Investigation

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The Air Accident Investigation Committee (CIAA, Spanish: Comité de Investigación de Accidentes Aéreos) of Venezuela led the investigation into the causes of the accident. The French Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA, French: Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile) was assigned the main responsibility for investigative analysis of the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder (CVR), with the United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) also taking part in recovery of FDR data. On 22 November 2005, the CIAA released an initial report (significantly changed by the time of the final report) suggesting that a buildup of ice inside each engine's PT2 probe was partly responsible for the accident. Analysis of the CVR showed that the crew discussed weather conditions, including icing, and continually requested and performed descents, which is the usual response to a low power or low airspeed situation.

Analysis of the debris showed that both engines were rotating at normal speed at the time of impact, which enabled investigators to conclude that the engines had not been previously damaged, and were functioning at the time of impact. Ground scars showed that the aircraft impacted in a nose-high attitude.

The CIAA, which by then had been renamed the Civil Aviation Accident Investigation Board (JIAAC, Spanish: Junta Investigadora de Accidentes de Aviación Civil), released their final report into the accident and found the probable underlying causes of the crash to be the result of pilot error. Underscoring the finding listing pilot error as a cause, the JIAAC noted a lack of both situational awareness and crew resource management (CRM), which would have better enabled the crew to properly respond to the stall and the severity of the emergency. The report stressed that the crew failed to operate the aircraft within its normal parameters. This resulted in the crew failing to recover from the stall due to poor decision-making and poor communication between the pilots. In addition, West Caribbean Airways came under criticism: West Caribbean failed to provide its pilots with the operation bulletin from Boeing, specifically addressing the autopilot issue; failed to emphasize CRM in ongoing pilot training; created stress for its pilots by not providing regular paychecks for a period of nearly six months leading up to the accident; and further created stress for the accident crew when the airplane was delayed and almost refused takeoff at their previous stop due to West Caribbean's non-payment of catering and food service fees.

Aftermath

As a result of the crash, West Caribbean Airways was grounded by the CAEAC just one day after the crash occurred. The airline subsequently went bankrupt in October 2005.

Media and popular culture

Dramatization

The hourlong Discovery Channel Canada TV series Mayday (other titles in other countries) featured the crash and investigation in a season 11 episode 2 titled "The Plane That Flew Too High".

In 2010, the documentary Panamá-Fort-de-France : autopsie d'un crash, (in French) by Stéphane Gabet and Luc David, traces the event, as well as the investigation.

A short film, Crossing Away, produced for the 10th anniversary of the Martinique-Panama plane crash, was not released until 2017.

In music

"On n'oublie pas" , (tribute to the 152 Martiniquais victims), 2014, written by Serge Bilé, sung by several artists and personalities including Jocelyne Beroard, Alpha Blondy, Harry Roselmack and Admiral T, to remember this event and to help the AVCA, the association of the victims of the air disaster, to raise funds.

References

^ "Informe Final Caso West Caribbean HK4374X" [Final Report West Caribbean Case HK4374X] (PDF) (in Spanish). Civil Aviation Accident Investigation Board. JIAAC-9-058-2005. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 March 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2019 – via Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety.
Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82 (MD-82) HK-4374X Machiques". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
Ranter, Harro. "2005". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
Ranter, Harro. "Venezuela air safety profile". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
Ranter, Harro. "McDonnell Douglas MD-80". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
"160 believed dead in Venezuela jet crash". CNN. 16 August 2005. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
Ellsworth, Brian; Forero, Juan (17 August 2005). "160 Die in Crash of Airliner in Venezuela". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
"Venezuela plane crash kills 160". BBC News. 16 August 2005. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
"Venezuela plane crash investigated". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
Muse, Toby; Henley, Jon (17 August 2005). "160 killed in plane crash in Venezuela". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
"Caribbean Net News: Victims' families file suit against West Caribbean Airways over 2005 crash". www.caribbeannewsnow.com. Archived from the original on 20 April 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
^ "The Plane That Flew Too High". Mayday. Season 11. Episode 2. Cineflix. 19 August 2011. Discovery Channel Canada.
^ Hradecky, Simon (5 September 2010). "Report: West Caribbean MD82 at Machiquez on Aug 16th 2005, did not recover from high altitude stall". The Aviation Herald. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
"LOCALIZADO SINIESTRADO EL HK- 4374X" [WAS LOCATED THE HK- 4374X]. rescate.com (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
"160 dead in Venezuela plane crash". The New York Times. 16 August 2005. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
"MTC entregó informe final sobre accidente aéreo en Machiques de 2005" [MTC delivered final report on air accident in Machiques of 2005] (in Spanish). Ministry of Transport and Communications. 16 August 2010. Archived from the original on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
"Junta liderada por Minfra sigue el caso INVESTIGACION DEL SINIESTRO AEREO DE WEST CARIBBEAN TIENE 75% DE AVANCE" [Board led by Minfra follows the case WEST CARIBBEAN AIR INSURANCE INVESTIGATION HAS 75% OF ADVANCE] (PDF) (in Spanish). Ministry of Infrastructure of Venezuela. 21 August 2006. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 March 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
"Airline's flights suspended after Venezuela crash". The Guardian. Staff and agencies. 18 August 2005. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
"Venezuela accident probe adds French experts". The Daily Journal. 19 August 2005. p. 9. Retrieved 20 October 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Panama – Fort-de-France: autopsie d'un crash" [Panamá – Fort-de-France: autopsy of a crash]. Le Monde.fr (in French). Le Monde. 14 August 2010.
"Panama – Fort-de-France: autopsie d'un crash" [Panamá – Fort-de-France: autopsy of a crash] (in French). Film Documentaire.
"Crash du 16 août : 'On n'oublie pas'" [Crash of 16 August: "We don't forget"] (in French). Martinique France-Antilles. 6 August 2014.

External links

External image
Photograph of aircraft at Airliners.net

Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network
Civil Aviation Accident Investigation Board
- Main text of the final Report (Archive) – Unofficial English translation hosted at SKYbrary – Annexes 3, 6, and 7 of the full report are in English, and are in the original Spanish report and the French translated report by the BEA (in French)
- Final Report (in Spanish) – (Archive, Alt, Archive) – Official version and the version of reference
National Transportation Safety Board
- Factual report (Archive)
- Investigation docket
Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety:
- "Accident in Machiques (Venezuela) on 16 August 2005 Archived 12 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine."
- "Accident survenu au Venezuela le 16 août 2005." (Archive) (in French)
- English summary of the final report (Archive)
Profile of the crew (in Spanish)

McDonnell Douglas DC-9 family

Civil/Commercial

DC-9
- -80/81/82/83/87/88

Boeing 717

Military

Accidents and
incidents

DC-9	West Coast Airlines Flight 956 (1966) TWA Flight 553 (1967) Ozark Air Lines Flight 965 (1968) Ozark Air Lines Flight 982 (1968) Viasa Flight 742 (1969) Allegheny Airlines Flight 853 (1969) 1970 Dominicana air disaster Eastern Air Lines Shuttle Flight 1320 (1970) ALM Flight 980 (1970) Southern Airways Flight 932 (1970) Hughes Airwest Flight 706 (1971) 1972 Turkish Airlines Adana crash JAT Flight 367 (1972) EgyptAir Flight 763 (1972) Delta Air Lines Flight 9570 (1972) Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 130 (1972) Southern Airways Flight 49 (1972) 1972 Chicago–O'Hare runway collision 1973 Nantes mid-air collision Aeroméxico Flight 229 (1973) Delta Air Lines Flight 723 (1973) Eastern Air Lines Flight 212 (1974) Avensa Flight 358 (1974) Inex-Adria Aviopromet Flight 450 (1975) 1976 Zagreb mid-air collision Southern Airways Flight 242 (1977) Air Canada Flight 189 (1978) TWA Flight 541 (1978) Alitalia Flight 4128 (1978) Itavia Flight 870 (1980) Garuda Indonesian Airways Flight 206 (1981) Aeroméxico Flight 230 (1981) Aeroméxico Flight 110 (1981) Avensa Flight 007 (1983) Air Canada Flight 797 (1983) 1983 Madrid runway disaster Ozark Air Lines Flight 650 (1983) Midwest Express Airlines Flight 105 (1985) Aeroméxico Flight 498 (1986) Garuda Indonesia Flight 035 (1987) Continental Airlines Flight 1713 (1987) Evergreen International Airlines Flight 17 (1988) Alitalia Flight 404 (1990) 1990 Wayne County Airport runway collision Ryan International Airlines Flight 590 (1991) Aeropostal Alas de Venezuela Flight 108 (1991) Japan Air System Flight 451 (1993) USAir Flight 1016 (1994) Intercontinental de Aviación Flight 256 (1995) ValuJet Flight 592 (1996) Austral Líneas Aéreas Flight 2553 (1997) Cebu Pacific Flight 387 (1998) TAESA Flight 725 (1999) Sosoliso Airlines Flight 1145 (2005) 2006 Mexico drug bust Hewa Bora Airways Flight 122 (2008)
MD-80	Inex-Adria Aviopromet Flight 1308 (1981) Northwest Airlines Flight 255 (1987) Austral Líneas Aéreas Flight 046 (1988) Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 751 (1991) China Eastern Airlines Flight 5398 (1993) China Northern Airlines Flight 6901 (1993) Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 347 (1994) TWA Flight 427 (1994) American Airlines Flight 1572 (1995) Delta Air Lines Flight 1288 (1996) Korean Air Flight 1533 (1999) American Airlines Flight 1420 (1999) Alaska Airlines Flight 261 (2000) 2001 Linate Airport disaster China Northern Airlines Flight 6136 (2002) Lion Air Flight 538 (2004) West Caribbean Airways Flight 708 (2005) One-Two-GO Airlines Flight 269 (2007) Atlasjet Flight 4203 (2007) Spanair Flight 5022 (2008) Dana Air Flight 0992 (2012) Air Algérie Flight 5017 (2014) Delta Air Lines Flight 1086 (2015) Ameristar Charters Flight 9363 (2017) Caspian Airlines Flight 6936 (2020) 2021 Houston MD-87 crash RED Air Flight 203 (2022)
MD-90	Uni Air Flight 873 (1999)

Topics

Operators
- MD-80
- MD-90
- Boeing 717

v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in Venezuela
1950s	Linea Aeropostal Venezolana Flight 253 (November 1956)
1960s	Avensa Fairchild F-27 accident (February 1962) Pan Am Flight 217 (December 1968) Viasa Flight 742 (March 1969) Air France Flight 212 (December 1969)
1970s	Avensa Flight 358 (December 1974) Punta Mulatos Linea Aeropostal Venezolana HS-748 crash (March 1978)
1980s	Latin Carga Convair CV-880 crash (November 1980) Avensa Flight 007 (March 1983)
1990s	Aeropostal Alas de Venezuela Flight 108 (March 1991) Cubana de Aviación Flight 310 (December 1999)
2000s	West Caribbean Airways Flight 708 (August 2005) Santa Bárbara Airlines Flight 518 (February 2008)
2010s	Conviasa Flight 2350 (September 2010)

v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in 2005 (2005)
Jan 30 RAF Hercules shootdownFeb 3 Kam Air Flight 904Feb 20 British Airways Flight 268Mar 6 Air Transat Flight 961Mar 15 Loganair Islander accidentMar 16 Regional Airlines Flight 9288Mar 25 West Caribbean Airways Flight 9955Apr 2 Nias Island Sea King crashMay 3 Airwork Flight 23May 7 Lockhart River air disasterJun 9 Logan Airport runway incursionJul 16 Equatorial Express Airlines An-24 crashAug 2 Air France Flight 358Aug 6 Tuninter Flight 1153Aug 10 Copterline Flight 103Aug 14 Helios Airways Flight 522Aug 16 West Caribbean Airways Flight 708Aug 23 TANS Perú Flight 204Sep 5 Mandala Airlines Flight 091Sep 21 JetBlue Flight 292Oct 22 Bellview Airlines Flight 210Dec 6 Iranian Air Force C-130 crashDec 8 Southwest Airlines Flight 1248Dec 10 Sosoliso Airlines Flight 1145Dec 19 Chalk's Ocean Airways Flight 101Dec 23 Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 217
2004 ◄ ► 2006

Aviation accidents and incidents in 2005 (2005)