Birgenair Flight 301
TC-GEN, the aircraft involved in the accident seen at Schönefeld Airport in July 1995
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| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 6 February 1996 |
| Summary | Blocked speed sensor leading to autopilot and pilot error |
| Site | 26 km (14 nmi) NE of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic 19°54′50″N 70°24′20″W / 19.91389°N 70.40556°WCoordinates: 19°54′50″N 70°24′20″W / 19.91389°N 70.40556°W |
| Passengers | 176 |
| Crew | 13 |
| Fatalities | 189 (all) |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 757-225 |
| Operator | Birgenair |
| Registration | TC-GEN |
| Flight origin |
Gregorio Luperón Int'l Airport Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic |
| 1st stopover |
Gander International Airport Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada |
| 2nd stopover |
Berlin Schönefeld Airport Berlin, Germany |
| Destination |
Frankfurt Airport Frankfurt, Germany |
 Pre-crash photos of the 757 carrying Flight 301 on Airliners.Net
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Birgenair Flight 301 was a flight chartered by Turkish-managed Birgenair partner Alas Nacionales from Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic to Frankfurt, Germany, via Gander, Canada, and Berlin, Germany. On 6 February 1996, the Boeing 757–225 operating the route crashed shortly after take-off from Puerto Plata's Gregorio Luperón International Airport. There were no survivors. The cause was a pitot tube that investigators believe was blocked by a wasp nest that was built inside it. The aircraft had sat unused for twenty five days without the required pitot tube covers in place.
The crew consisted of 11 Turks and 2 Dominicans. The captain was Ahmet Erdem (62), one of Birgenair's most senior pilots, with 24,750 flight hours under his belt. The first officer was Aykut Gergin (34). He had 3,500 hours of flying experience. The relief pilot was Muhlis Evrenesoğlu (51). He had 15,000 flight hours to his credit.
The passengers consisted mainly of Germans, along with a few Poles including two Members of Parliament, Zbigniew Gorzelańczyk (SLD), and Marek Wielgus (BBWR). Most passengers had booked Caribbean package holidays with Öger Tours; Birgenair held 10% of Öger Tours. In terms of passenger deaths, Flight 301 has the highest death toll of any aviation accident involving a Boeing 757.
During takeoff roll at 11:42 p.m, the captain found that his air speed indicator (ASI) was not working properly, but chose not to abort takeoff. The co-pilot's ASI was functional.
While the plane was climbing through 4,700 feet (1,400 m), the captain's airspeed indicator read 350 knots (650 km/h). The autopilot, which was taking its air speed information from the same equipment that was providing faulty readings to the captain's ASI, increased the pitch-up attitude and reduced power to lower the plane's airspeed. The co-pilot's ASI read 200 knots (370 km/h) and decreasing, yet the aircraft started to give multiple contradictory warnings that it was flying too fast, including rudder ratio, Mach airspeed, and overspeed lights and sounds.
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Wikipedia