ASN Aircraft accident Douglas DC-8-43 CU-T1201 Bridgetown International Airport (BGI)
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Status:
Date:Wednesday 6 October 1976
Time:17:24
Type:Douglas DC-8-43
Operator:Cubana de Aviación
Registration: CU-T1201
MSN: 45611/127
First flight: 1961
Engines: 4 Rolls-Royce Conway 508-12
Crew:Fatalities: 25 / Occupants: 25
Passengers:Fatalities: 48 / Occupants: 48
Total:Fatalities: 73 / Occupants: 73
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Aircraft fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:8 km (5 mls) W off Bridgetown International Airport (BGI) (   Barbados)
Phase: En route (ENR)
Nature:International Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport:Bridgetown-Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI/TBPB), Barbados
Destination airport:Kingston-Norman Manley International Airport (KIN/MKJP), Jamaica
Flightnumber:CU455
Narrative:
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:

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."

Classification:
Sabotage
Loss of control

Sources:
» Aircraft hijackings and other criminal acts against civil aviation : statistics and narrative reports / FAA


Photos

photo of DC-8-43-CU-T1201
accident date: 06-10-1976
type: McDonnell Douglas DC-8-43
registration: CU-T1201
 

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 to Kingston-Norman Manley International Airport as the crow flies is 1919 km (1199 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.

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.
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