ASN Aircraft accident Vickers 782D Viscount VP-WAS Whamira Hills
ASN logo
 

Status:Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources
Date:Sunday 3 September 1978
Time:17:30
Type:Silhouette image of generic VISC model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Vickers 782D Viscount
Operator:Air Rhodesia
Registration: VP-WAS
MSN: 297
First flight: 1958-03-04 (20 years 6 months)
Engines: 4 Rolls-Royce Dart 510
Crew:Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4
Passengers:Fatalities: 34 / Occupants: 52
Total:Fatalities: 38 / Occupants: 56
Aircraft damage: Damaged beyond repair
Location:Whamira Hills (   Zimbabwe)
Phase: En route (ENR)
Nature:Domestic Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport:Kariba Airport (KAB/FVKB), Zimbabwe
Destination airport:Salisbury Airport (HRE/FVHA), Zimbabwe
Flightnumber:RH825
Narrative:
An Air Rhodesia Viscount, named "Hunyani", took off from Kariba Airport at 17:10. Shortly after departing Kariba, the starboard wing was hit by a 9K32 Strela-2 shoulder-fired, surface-to-air missile (also known as SA-7). An emergency descent was carried out and the crew tried to make an emergency landing in a large clearing in the bush. The aircraft crash-landed, striking an irrigation ditch, cart-wheeled, broke up and caught fire. Fighters from the Zimbabwe Peoples Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA), also responsible for shooting down the airliner, later killed 10 of the 18 survivors. The rest of the survivors were rescued the next day.

Classification:
Shot down from the ground
Forced landing outside airport

Photos

photo of Vickers-782D-Viscount-VP-WAS
accident date: 03-09-1978
type: Vickers 782D Viscount
registration: VP-WAS
 

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 Kariba Airport to Salisbury Airport as the crow flies is 281 km (176 miles).
Accident location: Global; accuracy within tens or hundreds of 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.
languages: languages

Share

Vickers Viscount

  • 445 built
  • 114th loss
  • 58th fatal accident
  • 15th worst accident (at the time)
  • 19th worst accident (currently)
» safety profile

 Zimbabwe
  • The worst accident (at the time)
  • 2nd worst accident (currently)
» safety profile

The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:

CONNECT WITH US: FSF on social media FSF Facebook FSF Twitter FSF Youtube FSF LinkedIn FSF Instagram

©2024 Flight Safety Foundation

1920 Ballenger Av, 4th Fl.
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
www.FlightSafety.org