South African Airways Flight 295
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| Summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | November 28, 1987 |
| Type | In-Flight Fire |
| Site | Indian Ocean (off Mauritius) |
| Passengers | 140 |
| Crew | 19 |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Fatalities | 159 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 747-244B Combi |
| Aircraft name | Helderberg |
| Operator | South African Airways |
| Tail number | ZS-SAS |
| Flight origin | Chiang Kai Shek International Airport, Taipei, Taiwan  |
| First stopover | Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport, Mauritius  |
| Destination | Jan Smuts Airport, Johannesburg, South Africa  (final) |
South African Airways Flight 295 was a commercial flight that suffered a catastrophic fire and crashed on November 28, 1987.
Flight 295, a Boeing 747-244B Combi, registered ZS-SAS, called the Helderberg and flying the colors of South African Airways, took off from Chiang Kai Shek International Airport (now known as Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport), on a flight to Johannesburg via Mauritius. All 140 passengers and 19 crew on the manifest were killed. The flight also carried six pallets of cargo.[1]
The 747 Combi was a variant of the Boeing 747 that permitted the mixing of passengers and freight on the same deck according to load factors on any given route.
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[edit] Accident scene
The Helderberg was initially unable to inform Mauritian air traffic control of its position, and when it did, it reported an incorrect location that caused the subsequent search to be concentrated too close to Mauritius. By the time the first surface debris was located 12 hours after impact, it had drifted considerably from the impact location. Lastly, the pingers in the flight data recorders were not designed for deep ocean use, and could therefore also not be used to locate the wreckage.
The South African Navy sent the SAS Tafelberg and the SAS Jim Fouche to assist in the recovery of debris and remains.[2] The ocean tugs John Ross and Wolraad Woltemade also attended the scene, along with the Department of Environment Affairs vessel RS Africana.
The South Africans searched unsuccessfully with sonar for the wreckage for two months. A specialist deep ocean recovery team from the USA was therefore contracted to find the site and recover the flight data recorders. The search area is described as being comparable in size to that of the Titanic, with the water at 5,000 metres (16,000 ft) being considerably deeper. However the wreckage was found within two days of the sonar search of the area commencing.[3]
Three debris fields were found: , and . These locations are 1.5, 2.3 and 2.5km apart, which suggested that the fuselage broke up before impact. The cockpit voice recorder was eventually located. However, the data recorder was never found as the debris area covered several square kilometers.
[edit] The Margo commission
A commission of inquiry was chaired by Judge Cecil Margo. The official report determined that while the Helderberg was over the Indian Ocean, a fire had occurred in the main deck cargo hold, originating in the front right-hand cargo pallet. This led to the loss of the airliner. The reason for the loss was not specified, but two possibilities were detailed in the official report: Firstly, that the crew became incapacitated due to smoke penetration into the cockpit. Secondly, that the fire weakened the structure and the tail separated leading to impact with the ocean.
The manufacturer is quoted in the report as having "contested" any scenario that involved a break-up of the aircraft and thus the commission did no more than mention the two possible scenarios in its final report as incidental to the primary cause of the accident.
The commission determined that the primary cause of the loss was because fire detection and suppression facilities in class B cargo bays (the type used aboard the 747-200 Combi) were inadequate. The accident alerted aviation authorities world-wide to the fact that the regulations regarding class B bays had lagged far behind the growth in capacity of such cargo bays. The exact source of ignition was never determined but sufficient evidence was found to confirm that the fire had burned for some time and that it might have caused structural damage.
[edit] Conspiracy theories
Numerous conspiracy theories abound about the nature of the cargo that caused the fire as well as the investigation that followed.[4] For example,
- The SADF was smuggling red mercury on the flight for its atomic bomb project.
- Reports from the Wouter Basson investigation suggested that a weigh receipt showing that 300 grams of a highly volatile, carbon-based chemical substance had been placed onboard the ill-fated Helderberg — perhaps as a part of Project Coast. It was alleged by WorldNetDaily of July 5, 2000 that the activated carbon substance may have caused the plane to catch fire and then crash.[5]
- There were two fires on the plane, with information on the first one that occurred immediately after take-off allegedly being suppressed.
- The tape at SAA headquarters that kept a 24hr record of flight information was deliberately removed and destroyed
- Part of the cockpit voice recording that was not submitted into evidence contained information pertinent to the disaster
The television show Carte Blanche dedicated an investigation into a number of these allegations.[6]
[edit] Department of Transport review
The result was that the South African Department of Transport conducted a review of all the evidence and new developments. In 2002 it announced that no new evidence had emerged that would justify a new inquiry into the crash.
Therefore, the finding of the commission chaired by Judge Margo, that an uncontrolled fire - which was not detected in time due to the inadequacy of the fire detection and fighting standards in operation at the time - which either incapacitated the crew or led to structural failure, remains the official standpoint on the crash.
[edit] Passengers
| Nationality | Passengers | Crew | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
 Australia |
2 | 0 | 2 |
 Denmark |
1 | 0 | 1 |
 West Germany |
1 | 0 | 1 |
 Hong Kong |
2 | 0 | 2 |
 Japan |
47 | 0 | 47 |
 South Korea |
1 | 0 | 1 |
| Mauritius |
2 | 0 | 2 |
 Netherlands |
1 | 0 | 1 |
| South Africa |
52 | 19 | 71 |
| Republic of China |
30 | 0 | 30 |
 United Kingdom |
1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 140 | 19 | 159 |
Taiwanese authorities stated that 58 passengers began flying in Taipei, including 30 R.O.C. citizens, 19 South Africans, 3 Japanese, two Mauritians, one Dane, one Dutch, one British, and one West German. The other passengers connected in Taipei.[8]
At least two passengers died of smoke inhalation.[9]
[edit] Notable passengers
- Kazuharu Sonoda (a.k.a. Haru Sonoda and Magic Dragon), a Japanese professional wrestler, was killed on this flight, along with his bride. They were on their honeymoon.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Cargo Conspiracy." Mayday.
- ^ Andre Wessels (20 April 2007). "The South African Navy During The Years of Conflict In Southern Africa, 1966-1989". Sabinet Online Ltd.
- ^ Johan Strümpfer (2006-10-16). Deep Ocean Search Planning: A Case Study of problem Solving.
- ^ Department of Transport (October 11, 2002). "There is no new evidence to justify a re-opening of the Enquiry into the Helderberg Disaster of 28 November 1987, says Minister of Transport, Dullah Omar". Press release.
- ^ The secrets of Project Coast
- ^ "Helderberg Conspiracy". Carte Blanche. 2000-06-04.
- ^ "Jet debris found in Indian Ocean." Houston Chronicle.
- ^ "Plane carrying 155 crashes in Indian Ocean." Houston Chronicle.
- ^ "Mayday"
[edit] External links
- Selective Summary of evidence given at the inquiry on the disaster involving the Helderberg
- Report from the Aviation Safety Network
- South African Department of Transportation Special Operations Report on the Helderberg Disaster, 2001-2002
- FlyAfrica Forum devoted to finding out the truth about the Helderberg catastrophe
- CVR transcript South African Flight 295 - 28 NOV 1987
- Truth and Reconciliation Commission Special Hearing: Helderberg Flight
- With Malice and Forethought - Website of a fictional book about the disaster. Includes actual salvage photographs, CVR transcripts and other material from the investigation.
- Pre-Crash photos of ZS-SAS from Airliners.net courtesy of J. Tegen
- `We are going to die,' said crew member
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