Si Fly Flight 3275

Si Fly Flight 3275

An ATR 42-300, similar to the aircraft involved in the crash
Occurrence summary
Date November 12, 1999
Summary Controlled flight into terrain aggravated by inclement weather and poor crew training
Site Slakovce, North of Pristina, Kosovo
42°58′N 21°03′E / 42.967°N 21.050°E / 42.967; 21.050Coordinates: 42°58′N 21°03′E / 42.967°N 21.050°E / 42.967; 21.050
Passengers 21
Crew 3
Fatalities 24 (all)
Injuries (non-fatal) 0
Survivors 0
Aircraft type ATR 42-300
Operator Si Fly
Registration F-OHFV
Flight origin Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport, Rome, Italy
Destination Pristina International Airport, Pristina, Kosovo

Si Fly Flight 3275 (KSV3275) was a non-scheduled international passenger flight, operated Italian airline Si Fly using an ATR 42-300 series from Rome Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport to Pristina International Airport in Pristina, Kosovo. The flight had been chartered by the United Nations World Food Programme in response to the ongoing war in Kosovo. On 12 November 1999, Flight 3275 struck a mountain during an approach to Pristina Airport on Kosovo's capital. The crash killed all on board.[1]

The French Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile (BEA) investigated the cause of the accident and concluded that poor CRM aggravated by inclement weather condition in Slakovce at the time caused the crew to flew the plane into terrain. The BEA subsequently categorized the accident as a Controlled Flight Into Terrain, where an airworthy plane unintentionally flown into terrain. Several findings revealed that the crew were fatigued and there was no Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) to alert the crew that they would flew into terrain.[2]

The accident remains as the deadliest plane crash in Kosovo's history. This was the 5th worst plane crash involving an ATR-42 and the worst and only fatal plane crash in Si Fly's history.[3]

Flight

The flight was a daily flight to Pristina carrying UN officials and aid workers to Kosovo. At 08:11 UTC, Flight 3275 departed Rome on 12 November 1999 for Pristina, Kosovo with 3 crew members and 21 passengers. Most of the passengers were diplomats, aid workers and journalists. At 09:57 UTC, the flight was transferred by Skopje air traffic control to the Pristina military air traffic control organization. Pristina military ATC service was being provided in accordance with established procedures in Kosovo at the time of the accident.[4] At 09:59 UTC, the Pristina military air traffic controller requested that KSV 3275 descend initially to 5,200 feet. At 10 h 03 UTC, the controller asked KSV 3275 to descend to 4,600 feet. 11 minutes later, the aircraft struck the mountain and fell off from the radar.[2]

Search and Rescue

As the aircraft radar plot disappeared from the radar, a search and rescue team assembled by NATO was deployed immediately. Helicopters were assisting the search for Flight 3275 and 500 soldiers had taken part in the search and rescue operation. Flight 3275 was officially declared as missing. Search and rescue team searched the plane overnight with thermal imaging and night-vision equipment. Search and rescue operation was hampered by weather, mountainous terrain, and mines in the area. The wreckage of the plane was found on November 14, 1999 on a steep mountainside, located approximately 7 miles from the town of Mitrovica. There were no signs of life among the wreckage. First responder who arrived first at the scene stated that several charred bodies were found around the wreckage of the plane. Only the tail of the plane was still intact. Dozens of NATO troops cordoned the scene immediately.[5][6]

Aircraft, passengers and crews

The aircraft was an ATR 42-312 with registered as F-OHFV with its first flight in 1986. It has a serial number of 012 with a total airframe hours of 24.930. It was delivered to American Eagle with U.S registration code of N420MQ, later re-registered as N12MQ. It was sold to Si Fly in 1999. When it was delivered to Si Fly, the plane had 25,000 hours of flying time in July. Most of the passengers were UN officials from the World Food Programme, with several others were reported to be journalists and aid workers. The Italian News Agency ANSA reported that at least 9 Italians were on board the flight; consecutively - the 2 pilots, a flight attendant, 2 doctors, a spokeswoman for the food program, a volunteer chemist, a police officer and an aid worker. A Canadian official was also on board. 3 Britons were also on board the ill-fated flight, with 2 of them worked for The Tearfund relief organisation and had been travelling to Kosovo to join a 15-strong team helping ethnic Albanians rebuild their homes.[5][7][8]

Investigation

The BEA (Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety) concluded that the collision of KSV 3275 with high ground was due:

- to teamwork which lacked procedural discipline and vigilance during maneuvers in a mountainous region with poor visibility.
- to the aircraft being kept on its track and then forgotten by a military controller unused to the mountainous environment of the aerodrome and to preventing the risk of collisions with high ground, within the framework of the radar service he was providing.
- to the operator's critical situation as a new company highly dependent on the lease contract, favoring a failure to respect procedures.
- to the opening of the aerodrome to civil traffic without an advance evaluation of the operating conditions or of the conditions for distribution of aeronautical information.

The following factors contributed to the accident:

- crew fatigue, favoring a lowering of vigilance.
- undertaking the flight with an unserviceable or disconnected GPWS (Ground Proximity Warning System).[2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ ATR 42 strikes mountain on approach in poor visibility to Pristina, Kosovo. Retrieved on 29 August 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 Report Translation on the accident on 12 November 1999 North of Pristina (Kosovo) to the ATR 42-300 registered F-OHFV operated by SI FLY. Retrieved on 30 August 2012.
  3. ↑ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network.
  4. ↑ AT43, vicinity Pristina Kosovo, 1999 (CFIT HF FIRE). Retrieved on 30 August 2012.
  5. 1 2 "Team Finds Victims of U.N. Plane Crash on Kosovo Mountain". The New York Times. 14 November 1999.
  6. ↑ "Kosovo plane crash leaves 24 dead". BBC. 17 November 1999.
  7. ↑ "Three Britons killed in aid crash". BBC.
  8. ↑ "Irish aid worker in plane crash in Kosovo". The Irish Times.
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