On 10 November 1971, a Merpati Nusantara Airlines Vickers Viscount, registration PK-MVS, crashed in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia, after telling air traffic controllers they could not make their destination due to bad weather. All 69 people aboard the aircraft were killed in the crash. It remains the third worst Vickers Viscount accident.[1]
 A Viscount 701 of Cambrian Airways, similar to the aircraft involved in the accident | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 10 November 1971 |
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain |
| Site | Off Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Vickers Viscount 828 |
| Aircraft name | Sabang |
| Operator | Merpati Nusantara Airlines |
| Registration | PK-MVS |
| Flight origin | Kemayoran Airport, Jakarta, Indonesia |
| Destination | Tabing Airport, Padang, Indonesia |
| Occupants | 69 |
| Passengers | 62 |
| Crew | 7 |
| Fatalities | 69 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Accident
editThe aircraft was flying between Kemayoran Airport in Jakarta, and Tabing Airport, the then airport of Padang.[1] Five minutes before it was scheduled to arrive at Tabing, air traffic controllers lost radio contact with the flight.[2] Controllers at Talang Betutu Airport, Palembang, South Sumatra, reported the aircraft issued a distress signal. The flight crew reportedly said they could not land at Padang because of poor weather and bad visibility.[3] The aircraft subsequently crashed into the Indian Ocean,[4] killing all 62 passengers and seven crew aboard the aircraft.[1]
Passengers and crew
editAll the passengers aboard the aircraft were Indonesian nationals, except for a West German doctor and his wife, and a British helicopter pilot who was employed in Indonesia. Eight children were also aboard the flight.[2] Among the victims was the Indonesian renowned choreographer of Minangkabau descent Huriah Adam.
| Nationality[2] | Fatalities | Total[2] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passengers[2] | Crew[2] | ||
| Indonesia | 59 | 7 | 66 |
| West Germany | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Great Britain | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 62 | 7 | 69 |
Aftermath
editThree days after the accident pieces of the wreckage were found floating 75 miles off Sumatra, Indonesia. Fisherman found seats of the aircraft between the Beringin and Katang-Katang islands. An Indonesian Navy boat also recovered clothes and uninflated life rafts.[2]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b c "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Plane Wreckage Found in Ocean". Newspaper Archive. 13 November 1971. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
- ^ Associated Press (11 November 1971). "Airliner Lost With 69 Aboard". The Press-Courier. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
- ^ "Turbo-prop feared lost, 69 on board". The Windsor Star. 11 November 1971. Retrieved 1 January 2011.