1971 Indian Ocean Vickers Viscount crash
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 Vickers Viscount, 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
The aircraft was flying between Kemayoran Airport in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Tabing Airport, the former airport of Padang, Indonesia.[1] Five minutes before it was scheduled to arrive at Padang, air traffic controllers lost radio contact with the flight.[2] Controllers at Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Airport, Palembang, 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
All the passengers aboard the aircraft were Indonesian nationals, except for a German doctor and his wife, and a British helicopter pilot who was employed in Indonesia. Eight children were also aboard the flight.[2]
| Nationality[2] | Fatalities | Total[2] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passengers[2] | Crew[2] | ||
| Indonesia | 59 | 7 | 66 |
| Germany | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Great Britain | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 62 | 7 | 69 |
Aftermath
Three 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
References
- "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
- "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.