The 1977 IAS Cargo Boeing 707 airplane crash was a fatal accident involving a Boeing 707-321C cargo aircraft under the operation of IAS Cargo that crashed during aproach to Lusaka Airport, serving Lusaka, Zambia, on May 14, 1977. All 6 occupants of the aircraft were killed. May 14 is the 134th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (135th in leap years). ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... Lusaka is the capital and largest city of Zambia. ... The Boeing 707 is a four engined commercial passenger jet aircraft developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. ... The Boeing 707 is a four engined commercial passenger jet aircraft developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. ... Lusaka is the capital and largest city of Zambia. ... May 14 is the 134th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (135th in leap years). ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ...

History of Flight

The flight was a three-leg flight. It had originated from London's Heathrow Airport, from which the Boeing flew unneventfuly to Athens. From Athens it then proceeded to Nairobi. Departure from Nairobi on the final leg occured as planned at 07:17, May 14 destined for Lusaka. London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and of the United Kingdom. ... London Heathrow Airport (IATA airport code: LHR, ICAO airport code: EGLL, and often simply Heathrow) is the United Kingdoms busiest and best-connected airport. ... The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA, TYO: 7661 ) is the world’s largest aircraft manufacturer. ... Athens (Greek: Αθήνα, Athína IPA: ) is the capital and the largest city of Greece. ... Athens (Greek: Αθήνα, Athína IPA: ) is the capital and the largest city of Greece. ... Nairobi is the capital of Kenya, lying on the Nairobi River in the south of the nation. ... Nairobi is the capital of Kenya, lying on the Nairobi River in the south of the nation. ... May 14 is the 134th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (135th in leap years). ... Lusaka is the capital and largest city of Zambia. ...

The 707 cruised at flight level 310 for about two hours, after which it was cleared for descent to flight level 110. Flight level 110 was reached at aproximatly 09:23, and clearance was granted to begin descent towards a target of flight level 70. Just before 09:30, clearance to descend to 6,000 feet was granted, and moments later the plane was cleared to make a visual aproach to runway 10. A few minutes later, witnesses saw the entire right horizontal stabilizer and elevator assembly to detach from the aircraft. The aircraft subsequently lost pitch control and entered a nose-dive from about 800 feet to ground level, destroying the aircraft on impact. In aviation, a flight level is the nominal altitude of an aircraft referenced to a standard pressure datum, as opposed to the real altitude above mean sea level. ... The tail of a Lufthansa airliner (Airbus A319) in flight, showing the horizontal and vertical stabilizer For aircraft, the horizontal stabilizer is a fixed or adjustable surface from which an elevator may be hinged, while a vertical stabilizer (also called a fin) is fixed to the aircraft and supports the...

Of the five crewmembers and one jumpseat passenger on-board, there were no survivors. There were no fatalities on the ground. The wreckage was located aproximatly 3660 metres from the runway.

Investigation

A full investigation was launched by the Zambian authorities. The conclusions made by that investigation are as follows:

It was determined that the structure of the tailfin failed due to metal fatigue in the rear spar structure, and due to the lack of an adequate failsafe structure or device should such an event occur. The investigation also identified deficiencies in the assesment of aircraft designs and their certification and in the way aircraft were inspected. Metal Fatigue is a 1999 real-time strategy and mecha computer game developed by Zono, Inc and released by Psygnosis. ... The term Fail-safe is used to describe: A device which, if (or when) it fails, fails in a way that will cause no harm or at least a minimum of harm to other devices or danger to personnel. ...

References

• ASN Analysis (including picture of accident aircraft one year prior to the accident
• Detailed accident description