Narrative:
TAN-SAHSA flight 414, a Boeing 727-200 was a scheduled service from San José (SJO), Costa Rica to Tegucigalpa (TGU), Honduras with an intermediate stop at Managua (MGA), Nicaragua.
At the end of the final leg of the flight, the crew were cleared by Tegucigalpa ATC for the VOR/DME runway 01 approach, which includes a series of three step-downs from the initial approach fix altitude of 7500 ft MSL to avoid high terrain in the neighborhood of the airport. Rather than following the prescribed step-down procedure, however, the crew began a continuous descent from about 7600 ft MSL at about 11 NM from the airport to the accident site. The aircrafts descent profile was well below the published step-down course for the entire approach. The aircraft impacted a mountain known as Cerro de Hula at the 4800 ft MSL elevation, approximately 800 ft below the summit, 4.8 NM from the Tegucigalpa runway 01 threshold. At impact, the aircraft was in approach configuration.
Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) - Mountain
» ICAO Adrep Summary 1/90 (#12)
accident date: 21-10-1989
type: Boeing 727-224
registration: N88705
accident date: 21-10-1989
type: Boeing 727-224
registration: N88705
| Status: | Accident Investigation report not yet completed, but information verified through authorities or other sources. |
| Date: | Saturday 21 October 1989 |
| Time: | 07:53 |
| Type: |  Boeing 727-224 |
| Operating for: | TAN Honduras - Transportes Aéreos Nacionales |
| Leased from: | Continental Air Lines |
| Registration: | N88705 |
| MSN: | 19514/597 |
| First flight: | 1968-06-21 (21 years 4 months) |
| Engines: | 3 Pratt & Whitney JT8D-9A |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 8 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 127 / Occupants: 138 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 131 / Occupants: 146 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Aircraft fate: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | 9 km (5.6 mls) S of Tegucigalpa-Toncontin Airport (TGU) ( Honduras)
|
| Crash site elevation: | 1463 m (4800 feet) amsl |
| Phase: | Approach (APR) |
| Nature: | International Scheduled Passenger |
| Departure airport: | Managua-Augusto C. Sandino Airport (MGA/MNMG), Nicaragua |
| Tegucigalpa-Toncontin Airport (TGU/MHTG), Honduras | |
| Flightnumber: | 414 |
TAN-SAHSA flight 414, a Boeing 727-200 was a scheduled service from San José (SJO), Costa Rica to Tegucigalpa (TGU), Honduras with an intermediate stop at Managua (MGA), Nicaragua.
At the end of the final leg of the flight, the crew were cleared by Tegucigalpa ATC for the VOR/DME runway 01 approach, which includes a series of three step-downs from the initial approach fix altitude of 7500 ft MSL to avoid high terrain in the neighborhood of the airport. Rather than following the prescribed step-down procedure, however, the crew began a continuous descent from about 7600 ft MSL at about 11 NM from the airport to the accident site. The aircrafts descent profile was well below the published step-down course for the entire approach. The aircraft impacted a mountain known as Cerro de Hula at the 4800 ft MSL elevation, approximately 800 ft below the summit, 4.8 NM from the Tegucigalpa runway 01 threshold. At impact, the aircraft was in approach configuration.
Classification:
Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) - Mountain
Sources:
» Investigation of Controlled Flight into Terrain : Descriptions of Flight Paths for Selected Controlled Flight into Terrain (CFIT) Aircraft Accidents, 1985-1997 / Robert O. Phillips, U.S. DoT (DOT-TSC-FA9D1-99-01)» ICAO Adrep Summary 1/90 (#12)
Photos
accident date: 21-10-1989
type: Boeing 727-224
registration: N88705
accident date: 21-10-1989
type: Boeing 727-224
registration: N88705
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Managua-Augusto C. Sandino Airport to Tegucigalpa-Toncontin Airport as the crow flies is 240 km (150 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.
Distance from Managua-Augusto C. Sandino Airport to Tegucigalpa-Toncontin Airport as the crow flies is 240 km (150 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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Boeing 727
- 1832 built
- 57th loss
- 41st fatal accident
- 11th worst accident (at the time)
- 15th worst accident (currently)
Honduras- The worst accident
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