Criminal Occurrence description
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| Status: | |
| Date: | 06 OCT 1976 |
| Time: | 17:24 |
| Type: | Douglas DC-8-43 |
| Operator: | Cubana de Aviacion |
| Registration: | CU-T1201 |
| C/n / msn: | 45611/127 |
| First flight: | 1961 |
| Engines: | 4 Rolls Royce 508-12 Conway |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 25 / Occupants: 25 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 48 / Occupants: 48 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 73 / Occupants: 73 |
| Airplane damage: | Written off |
| Airplane fate: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | 8 km (5 mls) W off Bridgetown (Barbados)
 |
| Phase: | En route (ENR) |
| Nature: | International Scheduled Passenger |
| Departure airport: | Bridgetown-Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI/TBPB), Barbados |
| Kingston-Norman Manley International Airport (KIN/MKJP), Jamaica | |
| Flightnumber: | 455 |
At 17:15 Flight 455 took off from Bridgetown runway 09, heading for Kingston. Nine minutes later, the crew tried to turn back to Barbados due to an explosion. The DC-8 lost height rapidly and crashed in a nose down, right wing low attitude into the sea, 5 miles offshore.
PROBABLE CAUSE: "The detonation of an explosive device at the rear of the cabin which initiated an uncontrollable fire producing toxic gases resulting in eventual incapacitation of the pilots." Events:
Sources:
» Aircraft hijackings and other criminal acts against civil aviation : statistics and narrative reports / FAA
Sample newspaper article from Newspaperarchive.com
Statistics
40th loss of a DC-8
8th worst accident involving a DC-8 (at the time)
12th worst accident involving a DC-8 (currently)
The worst accident in Barbados (at the time)
The worst accident in Barbados (currently) » figures explained
8th worst accident involving a DC-8 (at the time)
12th worst accident involving a DC-8 (currently)
The worst accident in Barbados (at the time)
The worst accident in Barbados (currently) » figures explained
Photos
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 Bridgetown-Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI/TBPB) to Kingston-Norman Manley International Airport (KIN/MKJP) as the crow flies is 1919 km (1199 miles).
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.
Distance from Bridgetown-Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI/TBPB) to Kingston-Norman Manley International Airport (KIN/MKJP) as the crow flies is 1919 km (1199 miles).
