Bolivian B727 Crash Lands Short of Runway, All Survive

[Mark in CA]

A plane carrying more than 150 people crash-landed in a bog in eastern Bolivia on Friday after fierce storms turned it away from its destination and it tried to reach another airport hundreds of miles away, according to officials and news reports. All on board survived.

Photographs by local media showed the charter Boeing 727, flown by a local airline, in a flooded forest clearing, stripped of at least one wing. A set of landing gear was in the water nearby.

http://tinyurl.com/37369f

[SeniorDispatcher]

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jXrDcmBPWQcm2-gCwzI4mrVmfWTAD8UHRIJ80

Thankfully, no fatalities and just some injuries. Aircraft in pieces..

[Carbon Bootprint]

Thankfully, no fatalities indeed. I went as SLF on a LAB (Lloyd Aero Boliviano) flight circa 1999. Classic, and I mean classic, 727-100, never been on one of those before or since. It needed an interior cabin update, but otherwise seemed to be rather well maintained, with a professional cabin and flight crew. I understand LAB has managed a very good safety record, certainly by Latin American standards, so good on them! Sorry to hear about the aeroplane in bits, though... :{

[HarryMann]

Thankfully, no fatalities and just some injuries. Aircraft in pieces..

Yes thankfully, seems like a miracle! Hopefully those injuries aren't compressed vertebrae, which from my experience doesn't quite fit the 'just injury' category...

[727skipper]

Its actually a 200 series, not 100, you can tell by the number 2 engine inlet, round on 200, oval on 100 series. Also says -200 on the paint job.

159 pax with only 154 seats ? Could be true, but thats a generous seat pitch. Used to get 189 in all Y class on our 200's

Do you actually think they had people standing in the aisles ? :eek:

[igovfr]

This was indeed a great miracle. The Bolivian press reports that only two people, of the 157 passengers and crew on board, were injured seriously (broken bones) in this forced landing.

The aircraft run out of fuel.

LAB (Lloyd Aereo Boliviano) is an airline that is legally bankrupt, however, they conduct charter flights with two operational B727-200's in their fleet. This flight was being operated for TAM (Transportes Aereos Militares) the Bolivian air force's airline. The aircraft in this incident was CP-2429.

The flight originated in La Paz (SLLP), destined to the northern town of Cobija (SLCO) a distance of about 330nm. On arrival at SLCO, the heavy rain precluded a landing and after a couple of holding patterns, the flight diverted to the north-eastern town of Trinidad (SLTR) 320nm away.

According to passenger accounts, after initiating the diversion the crew advised that they were flying to Trinidad and that they would be landing in about 30 minutes. However one hour later and after overflying this city two times also due to bad weather, the crew told the passengers to assume the crash position as they would be landing off-airport.

The aircraft crash-landed about two kilometres from the city. It appears from various pictures, that the crash removed the left wing, broke the right wing and removed engine #3 from its pod.

The airport in La Paz is 13,300 ft ASL and T/O weight is obviously of primary concern. It will be interesting to read the eventual investigation report, to see how fuel requirements for the flight, the full load of passengers and the airport's altitude, were calculated and balanced.

As a note of interest, LAB is the only airline that continues to fly the B727's it originally got from Boeing in the late 60's.

[Mark in CA]

My first post here. Not used to the long lag after entering. Sorry for the duplication of another thread in this forum.

[PA38-Pilot]

Its actually a 200 series, not 100, you can tell by the number 2 engine inlet, round on 200, oval on 100 series. Also says -200 on the paint job.

159 pax with only 154 seats ? Could be true, but thats a generous seat pitch. Used to get 189 in all Y class on our 200's

Do you actually think they had people standing in the aisles ?

NEVER trust the media...

Amazing really how the 727 is almost intact after the crash landing...

[sevenstrokeroll]

I am surprised that so many of you couldn't figure out that some of the passengers might have been "lap children". accounting for the difference in seats and passengers.

When we get a passenger count from the flight attendants , we get the number of lap children, babes in arms, etc, just in case of evacution later on...

[SeniorDispatcher]

Actually, your thread pre-dated mine by just shy of 4 hours, so no apolgies are necessary. I looked before I posted, but didn't see yours...

[Broomstick Flier]

Images say more than words:

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb31/mastercaptain/1736ab99f1f9db66b2244fe0df05e793.jpg

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb31/mastercaptain/1201934899405_1201934899405_r.jpg

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb31/mastercaptain/ALeqM5i1VpvD_Gn-lbA-eTRAidjLqt6lhg.jpg


http://www.eldeber.com.bo/2008/2008-02-02/images/tapa.jpg

http://www.eldeber.com.bo/2008/2008-02-02/images/eco3.jpg

http://www.eldeber.com.bo/2008/2008-02-02/images/eco.jpg

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/rids/20080201/i/r2274243341.jpg?x=400&y=299&sig=7eSoGMdq1leNSPnOaaG3eQ--

Indeed, they were very lucky

Cheers

BF

[BelArgUSA]

CP-2429 Registry
Aircraft 727-259/Adv - c/n 22475 - Originally Avianca - JT8D-15A engines.
High Alt. Ops. STC Kit (Operations above 10,000+ MSL) SLLP is 13,400 MSL.
xxx
Aircraft BOW approx. 115,000 lbs
Payload - 155 pax = prob 35,000 lbs all included.
Fuel req. SLLP to SLCO + Alternate SLTR + Reserves = Approx. 20,000 lbs
Takeoff gross weight would have been 170,000+ lbs. Unlikely out of SLLP.
Max T/O SLLP probably limited to about 160,000 lbs.
Limited by either tire limit or brake energy. Flaps 5 or 15 takeoff.
xxx
Probably left with less fuel than required. Probably ran out of fuel (and ideas).
Nasty weather E of "Altiplano", typical of summer storms and CBs.
By chance they all got out ok...
xxx
:)
Happy contrails

[727skipper]

You are correct on that ! I never considered the lap pax ! :\

Guess I have been flying freight too long !

[broadreach]

From the Bolivian news, they diverted from Cobija to Trinidad (±360 miles) and the weather was just as bad there. There was no fuel left when they came down 5km (?) from Trinidad after two (?) GAs, some dispute as to whether they were trying another approach and ran out of fuel or decided to deplete it entirely and put down wherever they could. An army or police post saw them gliding in and were on the spot quickly.

The reports say both wings were ripped off; Trinidad hospitals attended most passengers and crew for cuts and bruises; two more serious injuries were to a flight attendant and a passenger.

All the photos show swampy land with relatively low (10-20ft) shrubs/trees. All that land is flat, with large cleared areas and, with the rains, would have have been pretty slippery.

[flufdriver]

Quite a few years ago LAB used to do some ACMI work for us, I always found their crew to be very professional, well trained and disciplined and their aircraft, 727 200's with -17's, well maintained.

Somehow I didn't expect that, (stupid of me!)

fluf

[Loose rivets]

Amazing really how the 727 is almost intact after the crash landing...

Yes, solid bit of kit.

I seem to recall that they were the most 'prolific' type many years ago, anyone know how many are left?

[HarryMann]

Under the circumstances then, some good judgement and very good airmanship... you don't get two chances at that.

1200 727s built?

[Teal]

1,831 were delivered according to Wikipedia with 87 hull-loss accidents. Make that 88.:bored:

[alexmcfire]

104 write-offs according to http://aviation-safety.net/database/type/type.php?type=102
Poor year for the B727, two write-offs already?

[barit1]

For its day the 727 was very prolific - in fact it was the first airliner to exceed the commercial order book set by the DC-3 (which was around 800 at the time of Pearl Harbor - NOT counting military orders)

[alexmcfire]

More pics here, http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2008-02/02/content_6437532.htm

[Kiwiguy]

The DC-3 got up to about 4,000-4,500 by war's end didn't it ?

Still lot's of 722s around, but they're being chewed up in boneyards at ever increasing pace. Their fuel burn is about 50% higher than a 733.

I worked out once though that their block hour cost was still lower than a 733 because of it's quicker flight times reducing the maintenance and labour cost.

Sounds like water ingestion flamed out the engines.

[missingblade]

Sounds like water ingestion flamed out the engines.

Really now. I would think the lack of fuel - as mentioned earlier might have had more to do with the flameout.....

[BelArgUSA]

Flew the 3 seats in 727-100 and 200s... long ago.
Was definitely a great plane. My first "big airplane". Was like a flying "sports car".
No VMCG (is below V1) - V1 = VR in a 727...
Some are only 160,000 lbs TOGW (JT8D-7) but some can be 205,000 lbs with JT8D-17R power.
But is an airplane that can get you into troubles. Too easy to handle. You get complacent.
xxx
One thing critical about 727 is the tail mounted engines.
In icing conditions, anything on your fuselage or wings may be ingested.
On the 727, when having a big black cloud ahead, you put all anti-ice systems ON.
No de-icing... it is ANTI-ICING, and before entering icing conditions.
In addition, rear mounted engines are subject of inlet upsets at high AofA.
So when in doubt, IGN comes on FIRST, then anti-ice (all of it).
xxx
I remember a few takeoffs, heavy rain, deep water puddles with lots of water ingestion.
Engines probably quit at times, fraction of a second, to relight immediately.
So, the scenario of engines quitting "because of water" is not valid.
They would relight immediately. I said "immediately"... provided IGN is ON.
xxx
Three engines that quit together (no coughs), according to passengers, means "out of fuel"...
Let us not jump to conclusions yet. Will be a few weeks... But I think of "no more fuel"...
xxx
One think is certain, the LAB pilots are highly qualified. I know a few.
Many pilots in these countries, know how to handle high elevations and mountain passes.
LAB, Faucett (now bankrupt), Avianca, Ecuatoriana pilots are among these experts.
I trust them more than "flatland pilots" when it comes to flying in that part of the world.
Got to observe with Avianca guys to Bogota and Cali as a guest of their training department.
They showed me a few local things and techniques this old fart did not know.
xxx
:)
Happy contrails - These guys got lucky indeed.

[Huck]

Fedex still operates 107 of them. I believe all the -100's are gone though.

Hell of a freighter. Mach .85, legs as long as from Memphis to the west coast, reliable and fun to fly. We are slowly replacing them with 757's, but the current plan is to have them around through 2012 at least.....

[JEM60]

Looks like a lucky year for airline pax. It is worth remembering,perhaps, that even had they screwed up on the aircraft management side, it is ALWAYS good piloting that lets you walk away in the end [combined, of course, with luck]

[barit1]

per Kiwiguy: The DC-3 got up to about 4,000-4,500 by war's end didn't it ?
I believe the total was 10 or 11 thousand (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_DC-3)commercial & mil. DC-3s, not counting Russian & Japanese copies.

Sounds like water ingestion flamed out the engines.

BelArgUSA disputes this hypothesis, but rain & severe turbulence brought down a Southern DC-9 (http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=55832&key=0) (also JT8D's) in 1977 outside KATL.

[el #]

Once again thank you to BelArgUSA for sharing facts and personal experience without rhetoric.
And a special appreciation for giving credit to the skills of local pilots, that are often put down by some "knowitall".

I'm really happy that they made it!

[SeniorDispatcher]

BelArgUSA disputes this hypothesis, but rain & severe turbulence brought down a Southern DC-9 (also JT8D's) in 1977 outside KATL.

I tend to recall that the hail that cracked their windshields and FODed out their engines also had a little to do with it...

In a bit of sad irony, the F/O that was badly burned in that Challenger crash (Colorado, on takeoff, the one that killed the son of NBC's Dick Ebersol and Susan St. James) a few winters back lost both his parents in the Southern 242 crash mentioned above...

[misd-agin]

Takeoff from a high altitude airport, weight restricted (ie not 'full' tanks), fly to destination, G/A, fly to alternate, and crash one hour(news report) after divert started?

If I was a betting man I'd bet the tanks were empty. (BA 038 was different, it was at completion of a normal flight, so fuel starvation would not be an anticipated problem)

[bear11]

Yup, local sources confirm that flying a full load on that route = not enough fuel.

[MrNosy2]

Lies, damn lies and statistics!

727 'hull losses' - defined as not repaired and returned to operation following substantial damage.

Including LAB :- 89 operational losses (Annex 13 definition) excluding deliberate acts of violence.
or 94 operational losses including deliberate acts of violence
or 108 operational and non-operational losses including acts of violence - take your pick.

Note a number of these 'hull losses' (as defined) come about because the aircraft are not worth much due to their age and become insurance constructive total losses after suffering relatively little damage but still meeting definition of 'substantial'.

'Hull loss' is not a good measure of safety.