Incident Overview
Date: Thursday 29 September 1960
Aircraft Type: Vickers 739B Viscount
Owner/operator: United Arab Airlines – UAA
Registration Number: SU-AKW
Location: 27,5 km N off Elba, Italy [Tyrrhenian Sea] –
ÿ Mediterranean Sea
Phase of Flight: En route
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 21 / Occupants: 21
Component Affected: Aircraft’s main partsAircraft’s main parts
Category: Accident
A United Arab flight 738 crashed into the Tyrrhenian Sea off Elba after requesting a change of heading near Rome. The aircraft lost control due to an encounter with a severe thunderstorm, resulting in a catastrophic crash.A United Arab flight 738 crashed into the Tyrrhenian Sea off Elba after requesting a change of heading near Rome. The aircraft lost control due to an encounter with a severe thunderstorm, resulting in a catastrophic crash.
Description
United Arab flight 738 took off from Geneva at 10:05 GMT for a flight to Cairo via Rome and Athens. The flight was to follow Airway A3. At FL210, near Elba, the crew requested a change of heading to avoid some unfavourable weather. Last contact was when Rome ATC cleared the aircraft for this change of heading. The aircraft crashed into the Tyrrhenian Sea off Elba; little wreckage was found. PROBABLE CAUSE: “The entry if the aircraft into a severe thunderstorm which resulted in loss of control or one of its main parts had sheared off or was completely damaged.”
Primary Cause
Severe thunderstorm resulted in loss of control or one of its main parts sheared off or completely damaged.Severe thunderstorm resulted in loss of control or one of its main parts sheared off or completely damaged.Share on:
