Transbrasil Flight 801

Transbrasil Flight 801 (TR801/TBA801) was a scheduled cargo flight from Eduardo Gomes International Airport to São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport that crashed on 21 March 1989. The Boeing 707 crashed in the heavily populated slum in Guarulhos 2 kilometres (1.2 mi; 1.1 nmi) from the runway. The crash resulted in the death of all 3 crew members and 22 people on the ground along with over 200 injured.[2]

Transbrasil Flight 801
The Boeing 707-349C involved in the Aer Lingus livery 3 years before the accident
Accident
Date21 March 1989[1]
SummaryStall caused by pilot error on approach. Crashed 2km from the airport
SiteVila Barros, near São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport, Guarulhos State of São Paulo, Brazil
Total fatalities25 (3 on the aircraft, 22 on the ground)
Total injuriesover 200 (on the ground)
Aircraft
Aircraft typeBoeing 707-349C
OperatorTransbrasil
RegistrationPT-TCS
Flight originEduardo Gomes International Airport, Manaus
DestinationSão Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport
Occupants3
Passengers0
Crew3
Fatalities3
Survivors0
Ground casualties
Ground fatalities22
Ground injuriesover 200

Aircraft

The aircraft involved was a Boeing 707-349C registration PT-TCS with manufacturer serial number 19354 and line number 503.[3] It was powered by 4 Pratt & Whitney JT3D-3B turbofan engines. The aircraft's first flight was on 9 June 1966, meaning that it was 22 years and 10 months at the time of the crash and has accumulated 61,000 flight hours.[1]

The same plane was used in the 1970 movie Airport, when the plane belonged to Flying Tiger Line.[4] It then flew with other airlines such as Aer Lingus, EI AI and British Caledonian before being sold to Transbrasil.[5]

Accident

The accident occurred at 11:54am, Brasilia time. The aircraft was making a high speed approach to runway 09R of São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport as the runway was set to be closed in 6 minutes' time for runway maintenance. One of the crew members activated the air brakes by mistake. This resulted in the aircraft losing too much airspeed and stalling. The aircraft then crashed into a residential area near Rua Regente Feijó and Rua Sandovalina in the Jardim Ipanema neighborhood approximately 2 kilometres (1.2 mi; 1.1 nmi) from the runway.[1] The aircraft was carrying over 15,000 liters of jet fuel at the time of impact, which caught fire immediately, resulting in the death of all 3 crew members on board and 22 civilians in the slums along with over 200 injured.[2] The aircraft was loaded with 26 tonnes (57,000 lb) of television sets and toys from the Manaus Free Trade Zone, all of which were destroyed.[6] This was the first serious crash since the inauguration of São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport on 20 January 1985.[7]

Investigation and aftermath

The investigation carried out by the Department of Civil Aviation at the time indicated that the accident was caused by human error, the aircraft had been inspected two months before the accident and was considered "fit" to operate.[1]

Seven months after the incident, Transbrasil compensated the families of the victims.

See also

References
  1. Ranter, Harro. "Transbrasil Flight 801 info". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  2. "At least 16 die as Brazilian jet hits shanty town". The New York Times. Associated Press. 22 March 1989. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
  3. "PT-TCS registration information". Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  4. "Airport (1970) trivia". Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  5. "PT-TCS registration detail". Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  6. "Cargo Plane Crashes Into Sao Paulo Slum; 21 Killed". 22 March 1989. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  7. Ranter, Harro. "São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport, SP profile". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
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