Incident Overview
Date: Thursday 4 April 1974
Aircraft Type: Douglas DC-4
Owner/operator: Wenela Air Services
Registration Number: A2-ZER
Location: 3,6 km from Francistown Airport (FRW) –
ÿ Botswana
Phase of Flight: Approach
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 78 / Occupants: 84
Component Affected: All four enginesAll four engines
Category: Accident
A DC-4 aircraft took off from Francistown runway 11 at 02:32, experiencing engine overheating and subsequent engine fires despite attempts to return to the airport. A left-hand circuit was initiated to return, but the aircraft descended rapidly and crashed 3600 meters short of the runway, resulting in tree damage and flames.A DC-4 aircraft took off from Francistown runway 11 at 02:32, experiencing engine overheating and subsequent engine fires despite attempts to return to the airport. A left-hand circuit was initiated to return, but the aircraft descended rapidly and crashed 3600 meters short of the runway, resulting in tree damage and flames.
Description
The DC-4 took off from Francistown runway 11 at 02:32. The engine temperatures started to rise, even after opening the gills. When temperatures exceeded the limit, the engines started backfiring. A left hand circuit was made to return to the airport, but the aircraft kept descending and crash-landed 3600 m short of the runway. The aircraft struck some trees and burst into flames. PROBABLE CAUSE: Powerloss on all 4 engines due to fuel contamination. A load of Jet A1 (Avtur) fuel had been unloaded in one of the Aviation gasoline (Avgas) tanks, causing a contamination of 25-30%.
Primary Cause
Power loss on all four engines due to fuel contamination.Power loss on all four engines due to fuel contamination.Share on:
