Ethiopian Airlines Flight 604
Ethiopian Airlines Flight 604 was a scheduled Addis Ababa–Bahir Dar–Asmara flight in which the aircraft caught fire during a belly landing at Bahir Dar Airport, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, on 15 September 1988.
An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737-200, similar to the one involved. | |
Accident | |
---|---|
Date | 15 September 1988 |
Summary | Belly landing after bird strike |
Site | Bahir Dar Airport, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia 11°36′17″N 37°19′11″E |
Aircraft | |
Aircraft type | Boeing 737-200 |
Operator | Ethiopian Airlines |
Registration | ET-AJA |
Flight origin | Bole International Airport |
Last stopover | Bahir Dar Airport |
Destination | Asmara International Airport |
Passengers | 98 |
Crew | 6 |
Fatalities | 31–35 |
Survivors | 69–73 |
Aircraft
The aircraft involved in the accident was a Boeing 737-260, registration ET-AJA, delivered new to Ethiopian Airlines. At the time of the accident the aircraft was less than a year old.[1]
Accident description
On 15 September 1988 ,[2]:51 the aircraft was scheduled to operate the second leg of a domestic Addis Ababa–Bahir Dar–Asmara passenger service with 98 passengers and 6 crew members on board.[1][3] Both engines of the aircraft ingested a flock of speckled pigeons as it took off from Bahir Dar Airport, and subsequently overheated.[1] One of the engines immediately lost thrust, while the other did so on the emergency return to the departure airport.[4] During a gear-up landing, the aircraft caught fire.[1]
There is some discrepancy over the death toll depending upon the source, as this number is claimed to be 35[1] or 31.[4][5][6] The discrepancy likely arose because four bodies could not be recovered.[6] All of the fatalities were among the passengers.[1]
See also
- Ethiopian Airlines accidents and incidents
- Ural Airlines Flight 178 – 2019 accident after both engines failed following a bird strike shortly after takeoff
- US Airways Flight 1549 – 2009 accident after both engines failed following a bird strike shortly after takeoff
- Scandinavian Airlines Flight 751 - 1991 accident after both engines failed following ice ingestion shortly after takeoff
- Eastern Air Lines Flight 375 – 1960 accident after the aircraft suffered a bird strike shortly after takeoff
References
- Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network
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- "1988: bad for scheduleds (page 49)". Flight International. 135 (4148): 49–54, 56–57. 21 January 1989. ISSN 0015-3710. Archived from the original on 10 August 2013.
- "1988: bad for scheduleds (page 50)". Flight International. Archived from the original on 10 August 2013.
- "1988: bad for scheduleds (page 51)". Flight International. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012.
- "1988: bad for scheduleds (page 52)". Flight International. Archived from the original on 10 August 2013.
- "1988: bad for scheduleds (page 53)". Flight International. Archived from the original on 10 August 2013.
- "1988: bad for scheduleds (page 54)". Flight International. Archived from the original on 10 August 2013.
- "1988: bad for scheduleds (page 56)". Flight International. Archived from the original on 10 August 2013.
- "1988: bad for scheduleds (page 57)". Flight International. Archived from the original on 10 August 2013.
- "At least 31 dead, 71 hurt in Ethiopian plane crash". Deseret News. 16 September 1988. Archived from the original on 10 August 2013.
- "Ethiopian Airlines Plane Crashes Since 1970". AirSafe.com.
- "Profile: Ethiopian Airlines". BBC News. 25 January 2010. Archived from the original on 27 August 2016.
- "31 morts dans la chute d'un Boeing éthiopien" [31 death after an Ethiopian Boeing crashed] (in French). Le Monde. AFP, Reuters. 18 September 1988. Archived from the original on 27 August 2016.