Incident Overview
Date: Thursday 12 July 1979
Aircraft Type: Britten-Norman BN-2A-9 Islander
Owner/operator: Fiji Air
Registration Number: DQ-FBO
Location: 10 km ENE of Bua –
ÿ Fiji
Phase of Flight: En route
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 9 / Occupants: 9
Component Affected: AircraftAircraft
Category: Accident
On July 14, 1979, a domestic flight, Flight 71, experienced an accident in a tropical rain forest. The aircraft crashed after failing to reach its destination, Bua, following a 35-minute flight from Suva. Ground search and rescue operations were initiated upon the wreckage’s discovery at an altitude of 1450 feet AMSL.On July 14, 1979, a domestic flight, Flight 71, experienced an accident in a tropical rain forest. The aircraft crashed after failing to reach its destination, Bua, following a 35-minute flight from Suva. Ground search and rescue operations were initiated upon the wreckage’s discovery at an altitude of 1450 feet AMSL.
Description
Flight 71 departed Suva at 09:46 on a domestic 35-minute flight to Bua. When the aircraft failed to arrive there, a search and rescue operation was started. The wreckage of the aircraft was located by a ground party on 14 July 1979 in a tropical rain forest at an altitude of 1450 feet amsl. PROBABLE CAUSE: “The accident was caused by the pilot in command continuing the flight into conditions where he lost visual reference with the surface which resulted in the aircraft colliding with the terrain.”
Primary Cause
The pilot continued the flight into conditions where he lost visual reference with the surface, leading to collision with the terrain.The pilot continued the flight into conditions where he lost visual reference with the surface, leading to collision with the terrain.Share on:
