Incident Overview
Date: Saturday 17 February 1979
Aircraft Type: Boeing 707-321C
Owner/operator: Trans Mediterranean Airways – TMA
Registration Number: OD-AGO
Location: Taoyuan –
ÿ Taiwan
Phase of Flight: En route
Status: Substantial, repaired
Casualties: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 5
Component Affected: Vertical stabilizerVertical stabilizer
Category: Accident
A Boeing 707 cargo plane collided with a Northrop F-5 fighter plane operated by the Republic of China Air Force at FL115. The F-5 damaged the Boeing’s vertical stabilizer, causing structural lift and bulkhead failure, resulting in the freighter landing safely while the F-5 crashed.A Boeing 707 cargo plane collided with a Northrop F-5 fighter plane operated by the Republic of China Air Force at FL115. The F-5 damaged the Boeing’s vertical stabilizer, causing structural lift and bulkhead failure, resulting in the freighter landing safely while the F-5 crashed.
Description
A TMA Boeing 707 cargo plane sustained substantial damage in a mid-air collision with a Northrop F-5 fighter plane operated by the Republic of China Air Force. The F-5 ripped off part of the Boeing’s vertical stabilizer, causing the structure to lift, and the rear pressure bulkhead to fail. The freighter landed safely, but the F-5 crashed. The collision occurred at FL115.
Primary Cause
Structural damage to the Boeing 707’s vertical stabilizer due to impact.Structural damage to the Boeing 707’s vertical stabilizer due to impact.Share on:
