Faucett Flight 251
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| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 29 February 1996 |
| Type | controlled flight into terrain on approach |
| Site | Arequipa, Peru |
| Passengers | 117 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Fatalities | 123 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 737-222 |
| Operator | Compañía de Aviación Faucett |
| Tail number | OB-1451 |
| Flight origin | Jorge Chávez International Airport, Lima, Peru |
| Stopover | Rodríguez Ballón International Airport, Arequipa, Peru |
| Destination | Crnl. FAP Carlos Ciriani Santa Rosa International Airport, Tacna, Peru |
Faucett Flight 251 refers to a Boeing 737-200 that was operating a domestic scheduled Lima–Arequipa–Tacna passenger service and crashed on 29 February 1996, while completing the first leg, on approach to Rodríguez Ballón International Airport.[1][2] All 123 passenger and crew aboard the aircraft lost their lives in the accident.[1][2]
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[edit] Aircraft
The aircraft involved in the accident was a Boeing 737-222, tail number OB-1451, c/n 19072, that had its maiden flight on 21 October 1968.[1][3] Dubbed with Pratt & Whitney JT8D-7B engines, the airplane started its commercial career on 28 October 1968, when it was delivered new to United Airlines and registered N9034U.[3] Re-registered N73714 on 14 June 1971, Aloha Airlines took possession of the airplane until late October 1980, when it was transferred to Air California with the same registration.[3] Air California was rebranded AirCal in October 1981, and the aircraft was re-registered again to N459AC.[3] Following the absorption of AirCal into American Airlines, the airplane continued its career with this carrier until Braniff Airways received it, with the same registration, on 2 March 1989, later going to AL AC 2 Corp, on 15 May 1990.[3] Finally, the aircraft was delivered to Faucett on 15 July 1991, and registered OB-1451.[3] The airframe was 27 years and 131 days old at the time of the accident.
[edit] Description
The accident was a controlled flight into terrain: the aircraft was flown into the ground while attempting to land. The crew had been issued an outdated barometric altimeter setting after bypassing an ILS signal, causing them to fly 1000 feet lower than the altitude they believed they were flying at. The crew were under the impression that the aircraft was at 9500 feet, when in fact they were flying at 8644 feet. The elevation of Rodriguez Ballon Airport is 8404 feet.
While on a VOR/DME approach to Runway 09, the aircraft crashed into hills in the middle of its flight path at 8015 feet. The aft section broke off on impact, and the main fuselage section continued to fly past the initial ridge and impacted near the top of the second one. The tail section fell into a crevasse between the two ridges.
Contributing factors to the accident were poor visibility due to nighttime (2025 local time) darkness and the heavy fog spread over the mountains at the time of approach.
The nationalities of the victims were as follows:[4]
| Nationality | Passengers | Crew | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
 Peru |
71 | 6 | 72 |
 Chile |
33 | 0 | 33 |
 Belgium |
2 | 0 | 2 |
 Canada |
2 | 0 | 2 |
 Bolivia |
2 | 0 | 2 |
 Brazil |
1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 117 | 6 | 123 |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 29 February 2012.
- ^ a b "Airline safety review – Fatal accidents: scheduled passenger flights" (PDF). Flight International: 34. 15 January 1997 – 21 January 1997. http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1997/1997%20-%200140.html. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f "Boeing 737 - MSN 19072 - OB-1451". Airfleets.net. http://www.airfleets.net/ficheapp/plane-b737-19072.htm. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
- ^ "123 Reported Dead In Peru Plane Crash". 1 March 1996. Archived from the original on 1 March 2012. http://www.webcitation.org/65qfyw8wH.
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