Incident Overview
Date: Monday 27 April 1964
Aircraft Type: Douglas DC-3C
Owner/operator: East African Airways Corp. – EAAC
Registration Number: VP-KJP
Location: Kilwa Masoko Airport (KIY) –
ÿ Tanzania
Phase of Flight: Landing
Status: Substantial, repaired
Casualties: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 25
Component Affected: Port propellerPort propeller
Category: Accident
An aircraft experienced a significant loss of control during a cross-wind landing, resulting in a catastrophic failure of the port wheel and subsequent propeller damage. The aircraft sank into soft ground, leading to a fatal impact with the ground.An aircraft experienced a significant loss of control during a cross-wind landing, resulting in a catastrophic failure of the port wheel and subsequent propeller damage. The aircraft sank into soft ground, leading to a fatal impact with the ground.
Description
During a cross-wind landing the aircraft swung off the centre-line of the runway. The port wheel sank in the soft ground whereupon the propeller struck the ground and broke off. The broken propeller penetrated the cockpit and killed the captain instantly. Conclusions: “This accident appears to have been caused by the aircraft sinking into soft ground after swinging off the edge of the runway which, in turn, resulted in the port propeller breaking away from the engine. A contributory factor was the state of the ground immediately adjacent to the runway being not sufficiently firm to support the weight of an aircraft of this type.”
Primary Cause
Cross-wind landing conditions, coupled with the aircraft’s instability and the soft ground surface, led to a loss of control and subsequent propeller failure.Cross-wind landing conditions, coupled with the aircraft’s instability and the soft ground surface, led to a loss of control and subsequent propeller failure.Share on:
