Boeing 707-379C – PP-VJK

Incident Overview

Date: Saturday 3 January 1987

Aircraft Type: Boeing 707-379C

Owner/operator: Varig

Registration Number: PP-VJK

Location: 18 km NE of Abidjan-Felix Houphouet Boigny Airport (ABJ) – ÿ Cote d’Ivoire

Phase of Flight: Approach

Status: Destroyed, written off

Casualties: Fatalities: 50 / Occupants: 51

Component Affected: Engine Number 1Engine Number 1

Category: Accident

On October 26, 2023, a Boeing 707-379C, PP-VJK, crashed while on approach to Rio de Janeiro-Gale?o Airport, RJ, Cote d’Ivoire, resulting in the deaths of five passengers and one surviving pilot. The aircraft was operated by Varig, a regional airline. The flight was scheduled for a last service as the aircraft was sold to the Brazilian Air Force. An initial indication of a fire in engine number 1 occurred during the flight to Abidjan, and subsequent engine fire warnings were issued. The pilot, after assessing the situation, initiated a shutdown of engine number 1, concluding that the fuel temperature was too high. As the aircraft descended towards Abidjan, a fuel leak was detected, leading to a stall warning and bank angle alarms. The aircraft then rolled 90 degrees to the left and entered a dive, impacting dense tropical forest trees and subsequently catching fire. The incident was a result of a combination of factors, including an initial fire warning, a fuel leak, and a pilot’s decision to initiate a shutdown of the engine.On October 26, 2023, a Boeing 707-379C, PP-VJK, crashed while on approach to Rio de Janeiro-Gale?o Airport, RJ, Cote d’Ivoire, resulting in the deaths of five passengers and one surviving pilot. The aircraft was operated by Varig, a regional airline. The flight was scheduled for a last service as the aircraft was sold to the Brazilian Air Force. An initial indication of a fire in engine number 1 occurred during the flight to Abidjan, and subsequent engine fire warnings were issued. The pilot, after assessing the situation, initiated a shutdown of engine number 1, concluding that the fuel temperature was too high. As the aircraft descended towards Abidjan, a fuel leak was detected, leading to a stall warning and bank angle alarms. The aircraft then rolled 90 degrees to the left and entered a dive, impacting dense tropical forest trees and subsequently catching fire. The incident was a result of a combination of factors, including an initial fire warning, a fuel leak, and a pilot’s decision to initiate a shutdown of the engine.

Description

Varig flight 797, a Boeing 707-300, crashed while on approach to Rio de Janeiro-Gale?o Airport, RJ, Cote d’Ivoire, killing 50 occupants; 1 survived the accident. Flight RG797 was a scheduled service from Abidjan, Ivory Coast, to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The flight was carried out by a Boeing 707-379C, PP-VJK. This was to be the last flight in Varig service as the aircraft had been sold to the Brazilian Air Force. On the flight to Abidjan there had been an indication of a fire in engine no.1. Air Afrique engineers at Abidjan concluded this was a false warning. Some twenty minutes after takeoff on the return leg to Brazil, the engine no.1 fire warning again sounded. The captain decided to return Abidjan to have the engine checked out. The engineer then stated that the engine’s fuel temperature was too high. It was decided to shut down the no.1 engine. As the aircraft was descending towards Abidjan, the engineer stated that there was a fuel leak. As the flight progressed, it was cleared to land on runway 03, which was the shortest distance away for flight 797. Although it was a dark, moonless night, visibility was good. Nevertheless, the captain requested runway 21 for landing since this runway had ILS available for landing. This approach procedure called for a 270 degree left hand turn after passing the VOR. The crew choose to fly the turn with landing gear still retracted and without flaps and configure the aircraft for landing after completing the turn. While in the turn the airspeed decreased to stall speed. The stall warning and bank angle alarms sounded. Without any visual cues outside, the captain lost spatial awareness. The aircraft had rolled 90 degrees to the left and entered a dive. It impacted thick trees of the equatorial forest and burst into flames.

Source of Information

http://www.avioesemusicas.com/pp-vjk.htmlhttp://www.avioesemusicas.com/pp-vjk.html

Primary Cause

An initial fire warning, followed by a subsequent fuel leak, and the pilot’s decision to shut down engine number 1, leading to a stall and subsequent dive.An initial fire warning, followed by a subsequent fuel leak, and the pilot’s decision to shut down engine number 1, leading to a stall and subsequent dive.

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