Narrative:
TANS Flight 204 departed Lima at 14:24 on a scheduled 53-minute flight to Pucallpa. After an intermediate stop there the airplane was to continue to Iquitos.
At 14:52 the crew initiated the descent towards Pucallpa with the intention of carrying out a visual approach and landing. While approaching Pucallpa meteorological conditions deteriorated with towering cumulus clouds, strong winds and heavy rainfall. The runway 02 approach was unstabilized, but the crew continued the approach. The GPWS sounded as the airplane penetrated a severe hailstorm. The crew lost situational awareness and failed to abort the descent. The Boeing 737 crash-landed in swampland and broke up. It appeared that a copilot under instruction was in the right hand seat while the regular copilot was in the passenger cabin at the time of the accident.
CONCLUSIONS (translated from Spanish): The Commission determines the likely cause of the accident, as follows:
1) The decision of the flight crew to continue the final approach and landing at the airport of Pucallpa in severe weather (storm).
2) The decision of the flight crew to descend unstabilized and not act to stop the steep descent to the ground at a descent rate of above 1500 feet per minute; what triggered the GPWS (Ground Proximity Warning System).
3) The decision of the flight crew not avoid the storm, not choosing to conduct a landing on the other runway or divert to the nearest airport until weather conditions improved.
4) The decision of the flight crew to penetrate the storm, it having been detected on weather radar aircraft approximately 190 miles in advance.
5) The loss of the horizontal and vertical visibility of the flight crew while penetrating the core of the storm (severe hailstorm). Severe hail causes obscuration of the front windows of the aircraft and therefore the total loss of situational awareness.
Landing after unstabilized approach
Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) - Ground
SPCL 232000Z 02003KT 9999 FEW020 35/26 Q1009 RMK PP000
20:10 UTC / 15:10 local time:
SPECI SPCL 232010Z 01003KT 2000 TSFU BKN013 FEW015CB 31/26 Q1009
21:00 UTC / 16:00 local time:
SPCL 232100Z 22013KT 3000 TSRA BKN014 FEW017 CB SCT100 25/23
accident date: 23-08-2005
type: Boeing 737-244
registration: ZS-SIA
| Status: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
| Date: | Tuesday 23 August 2005 |
| Time: | 15:09 |
| Type: |  Boeing 737-244 |
| Operator: | Transportes Aéreos Nacionales de la Selva - TANS |
| Registration: | OB-1809-P |
| MSN: | 22580/787 |
| First flight: | 1981-08-04 (24 years ) |
| Total airframe hrs: | 49865 |
| Cycles: | 45262 |
| Engines: | 2 Pratt & Whitney JT8D-17A |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 7 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 35 / Occupants: 91 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 40 / Occupants: 98 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Aircraft fate: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | 5,5 km (3.4 mls) S of Pucallpa-Cap. FAP David A. Abensur Rengifo Airport (PCL) ( Peru)
|
| Phase: | Approach (APR) |
| Nature: | Domestic Scheduled Passenger |
| Departure airport: | Lima-Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM/SPIM), Peru |
| Pucallpa-Cap. FAP David A. Abensur Rengifo Airport (PCL/SPCL), Peru | |
| Flightnumber: | 204 |
TANS Flight 204 departed Lima at 14:24 on a scheduled 53-minute flight to Pucallpa. After an intermediate stop there the airplane was to continue to Iquitos.
At 14:52 the crew initiated the descent towards Pucallpa with the intention of carrying out a visual approach and landing. While approaching Pucallpa meteorological conditions deteriorated with towering cumulus clouds, strong winds and heavy rainfall. The runway 02 approach was unstabilized, but the crew continued the approach. The GPWS sounded as the airplane penetrated a severe hailstorm. The crew lost situational awareness and failed to abort the descent. The Boeing 737 crash-landed in swampland and broke up. It appeared that a copilot under instruction was in the right hand seat while the regular copilot was in the passenger cabin at the time of the accident.
Probable Cause:
CONCLUSIONS (translated from Spanish): The Commission determines the likely cause of the accident, as follows:
1) The decision of the flight crew to continue the final approach and landing at the airport of Pucallpa in severe weather (storm).
2) The decision of the flight crew to descend unstabilized and not act to stop the steep descent to the ground at a descent rate of above 1500 feet per minute; what triggered the GPWS (Ground Proximity Warning System).
3) The decision of the flight crew not avoid the storm, not choosing to conduct a landing on the other runway or divert to the nearest airport until weather conditions improved.
4) The decision of the flight crew to penetrate the storm, it having been detected on weather radar aircraft approximately 190 miles in advance.
5) The loss of the horizontal and vertical visibility of the flight crew while penetrating the core of the storm (severe hailstorm). Severe hail causes obscuration of the front windows of the aircraft and therefore the total loss of situational awareness.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Classification:
Landing after unstabilized approach
Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) - Ground
METAR Weather report:
20:00 UTC / 15:00 local time:SPCL 232000Z 02003KT 9999 FEW020 35/26 Q1009 RMK PP000
20:10 UTC / 15:10 local time:
SPECI SPCL 232010Z 01003KT 2000 TSFU BKN013 FEW015CB 31/26 Q1009
21:00 UTC / 16:00 local time:
SPCL 232100Z 22013KT 3000 TSRA BKN014 FEW017 CB SCT100 25/23
Photos
accident date: 23-08-2005
type: Boeing 737-244
registration: ZS-SIA
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 Lima-Jorge Chávez International Airport to Pucallpa-Cap. FAP David A. Abensur Rengifo Airport as the crow flies is 489 km (306 miles).
Accident location: Exact; as reported in the official accident report.
Distance from Lima-Jorge Chávez International Airport to Pucallpa-Cap. FAP David A. Abensur Rengifo Airport as the crow flies is 489 km (306 miles).
Accident location: Exact; as reported in the official accident report.
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: 
Peru
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Boeing 737-200
- 1114 built
- 101st loss
- 50th fatal accident
- 30th worst accident (at the time)
- 36th worst accident (currently)
Peru- 13th worst accident
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