Incident Overview

Date: Saturday 15 July 1972
Aircraft Type: Britten-Norman BN-2A Islander
Owner/operator: Air Gabon
Registration Number: TR-LOC
Location: near Nkan – ÿ Gabon
Phase of Flight: En route
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Component Affected: Aircraft wingAircraft wing
Category: Accident
A pilot attempted to avoid a mountain concealed by cloud while flying low, resulting in a catastrophic crash on a mountain slope.A pilot attempted to avoid a mountain concealed by cloud while flying low, resulting in a catastrophic crash on a mountain slope.

Description

The pilot was flying very low under the cloud layer and tried to avoid a mountain near Nkan which was concealed by cloud. The pilot made a sharp turn and the aircraft wing struck the trees; it then turned over on its back, truck the slope and burnt. The aircraft crashed on the slope of a mountain 20 m from the summit. The front part of the aircraft from the nose to a point behind the passenger cabin door was torn off and burned. The rear part of the fuselage remained intact lying on its back. According to the meteorological forecast, the region was covered with stratus clouds and VMC conditions were not present. Cause: the pilot tried to make his way to Nkan in unfavourable meteorological conditions which made the attempt very difficult.

Primary Cause

Unfavorable meteorological conditions, specifically stratus clouds and low VMC, made it difficult for the pilot to navigate and avoid a collision.Unfavorable meteorological conditions, specifically stratus clouds and low VMC, made it difficult for the pilot to navigate and avoid a collision.

Share on:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *