
Détails:
Sabena flight SN548 was a transatlantic service from New York to Brussels, Belgium. The Boeing 707-300 was on a long approach to runway 20 when, near the runway threshold and at a height of 900 feet, power was increased and the gear retracted. The plane made three 360 degrees turns to the left and climbed to 1500 feet. During these turns the bank angle increased more and more until the aircraft was in a near vertical bank. The wings then leveled, followed by an abrupt pitch up. The 707 lost speed, started to spiral rapidly towards the ground nose down, crashed and caught fire.
Among the victims were all eighteen members of the 1961 U.S. Figure Skating team, as well as sixteen other people who were accompanying them. The ground casualty was a farmer who was struck by debris.
PROBABLE CAUSE: "Having carried out all possible reasonable investigations, the Commission concluded that the cause of the accident had to be looked for in the material failure of the flying controls.
However, while it was possible to advance certain hypotheses regarding the possible causes, they could not be considered entirely satisfactory. Only the material failure of two systems could lead to a complete explanation, but left the way open to an arbitrary choice because there was not sufficient evidence to corroborate it."
The FAA commented that the most plausible hypothesis was a malfunction of the stabilizer adjusting mechanism permitting the stabilizer to run to the 10.5deg nose-up position.
accident date: 15-02-1961
type: Boeing 707-329
registration: OO-SJB
accident date: 15-02-1961
type: Boeing 707-329
registration: OO-SJB
flight track
| Statuts: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
| Date: | mercredi 15 février 1961 |
| Heure: | 10:05 |
| Type/Sous-type: |  Boeing 707-329 |
| Compagnie: | Sabena |
| Immatriculation: | OO-SJB |
| Numéro de série: | 17624/92 |
| Année de Fabrication: | 1959 |
| Heures de vol: | 3038 |
| Moteurs: | 4 Pratt & Whitney JT4A |
| Equipage: | victimes: 11 / Ã bord: 11 |
| Passagers: | victimes: 61 / Ã bord: 61 |
| Total: | victimes: 72 / Ã bord: 72 |
| Victimes au sol: | victimes: 1 |
| Dégats de l'appareil: | Détruit |
| Conséquences: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Lieu de l'accident: | 3 km (1.9 milles) NE of Brussel-Zaventem Airport (BRU) ( Belgique)
|
| Phase de vol: | En approche (APR) |
| Nature: | Transport de Passagers Intern. |
| Aéroport de départ: | New York-Idlewild International Airport, NY (IDL/KIDL), Etats-Unis d'Amérique |
| Brussel-Zaventem Airport (BRU/EBBR), Belgique | |
| Numéro de vol: | SN548 |
Sabena flight SN548 was a transatlantic service from New York to Brussels, Belgium. The Boeing 707-300 was on a long approach to runway 20 when, near the runway threshold and at a height of 900 feet, power was increased and the gear retracted. The plane made three 360 degrees turns to the left and climbed to 1500 feet. During these turns the bank angle increased more and more until the aircraft was in a near vertical bank. The wings then leveled, followed by an abrupt pitch up. The 707 lost speed, started to spiral rapidly towards the ground nose down, crashed and caught fire.
Among the victims were all eighteen members of the 1961 U.S. Figure Skating team, as well as sixteen other people who were accompanying them. The ground casualty was a farmer who was struck by debris.
Probable Cause:
PROBABLE CAUSE: "Having carried out all possible reasonable investigations, the Commission concluded that the cause of the accident had to be looked for in the material failure of the flying controls.
However, while it was possible to advance certain hypotheses regarding the possible causes, they could not be considered entirely satisfactory. Only the material failure of two systems could lead to a complete explanation, but left the way open to an arbitrary choice because there was not sufficient evidence to corroborate it."
The FAA commented that the most plausible hypothesis was a malfunction of the stabilizer adjusting mechanism permitting the stabilizer to run to the 10.5deg nose-up position.
Sources:
» ICAO Circular 69-AN/61 (43-58)Photos
accident date: 15-02-1961
type: Boeing 707-329
registration: OO-SJB
accident date: 15-02-1961
type: Boeing 707-329
registration: OO-SJB
flight track
Plan
Ce plan montre l'aéroport de départ ainsi que la supposée destination du vol. La ligne fixe reliant les deux aéroports n'est pas le plan de vol exact.
La distance entre New York-Idlewild International Airport, NY et Brussel-Zaventem Airport est de 5845 km (3653 miles).
Accident location: Exact; deduced from official accident report.
La distance entre New York-Idlewild International Airport, NY et Brussel-Zaventem Airport est de 5845 km (3653 miles).
Accident location: Exact; deduced from official accident report.
Les informations ci-dessus ne représentent pas l'opinion de la 'Flight Safety Foundation' ou de 'Aviation Safety Network' sur les causes de l'accident. Ces informations prélimimaires sont basées sur les faits tel qu'ils sont connus à ce jour.
languages: 
Belgique
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Boeing 707
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- le accident 20ème le plus grave (en ce moment)
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- le accident The le plus grave (en ce moment)
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