Dominicana DC-9 air disaster
|
A DC-9-32 similar to the accident aircraft | |
| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | February 15, 1970 |
| Summary | Engine failure followed by loss of control |
| Site |
Caribbean Sea near Las Américas Int'l Airport Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic |
| Passengers | 97 |
| Crew | 5 |
| Fatalities | 102 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft type | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 |
| Operator | Dominicana de Aviación |
| Registration | HI-177 |
| Flight origin | Santo Domingo-Las Américas International Airport (SDQ/MDSD) |
| Destination | San Juan-Isla Verde International Airport (SJU/TJSJ) |
The Dominicana de Aviación Santo Domingo DC-9 air disaster occurred on February 15, 1970 when a Dominicana de Aviación (Dominican Airlines) McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 twin-engine jet airliner crashed shortly after taking off from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic en route to San Juan, Puerto Rico. The crash killed all 102 passengers and crew on board.[1] Four airline employees are believed to have been arrested in connection with the crash.
Aircraft
The aircraft, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 registered HI-177, had been built by McDonnell Douglas the previous year. It had been in service with Dominicana for less than a month when it crashed.[1][2]
Accident
The jetliner was on an international flight from Las Américas International Airport near Santo Domingo, to San Juan's Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport. It took off at about 6:30pm. Two minutes after departure one of its engines lost power. The aircraft then descended until it hit the sea.[1] There were no survivors among the 97 passengers and five crew members on board.[1]
Notable victims
Among the dead were former world lightweight boxing champion Carlos Cruz, his wife and their two children; and twelve members of Puerto Rico's women's national volleyball team.[3] The Puerto Rican salsa orchestra El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico was set to board the flight but did not when one of its members had a bad feeling about the flight and convinced the others not to take it.[4]
Aftermath
Dominicana suspended its operations immediately after the crash; reportedly four of its mechanics were arrested as well.[2] In addition, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) banned Dominicana aircraft from operating to the United States. The ban was lifted later in the year after Dominicana leased a replacement DC-9 aircraft, to be flown by crews from Spanish airline Iberia.[2][5]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 D. Gero (2005-05-21). "ASN Aircraft accident McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 HI-177 Santo Domingo". Aviation Safety Network. Flight Safety Foundation. Retrieved 2008-11-23.
- 1 2 3 "FAA Suspends Dominicana", Flight International, 19 March 1970, p.421 (online archive version) retrieved 16 November 2012
- ↑ Crash stills title hopes
- ↑ "Una tragedia aérea que aún duele". El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). 12 February 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
- ↑ "Dominicana to Resume", Flight International, 16 April 1970, p.615 (online archive version) retrieved 16 November 2012
External links
| ||||||