Accident McDonnell Douglas DC-9-81 (MD-81) N1003G, Sunday 12 June 1988

Date:	Sunday 12 June 1988
Time:	09:20
Type:	McDonnell Douglas DC-9-81 (MD-81)
Owner/operator:	Austral Lineas Aéreas
Registration:	N1003G
MSN:	48050/989
Year of manufacture:	1981
Engine model:	Pratt & Whitney JT8D-209
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 22 / Occupants: 22
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed, written off
Category:	Accident
Location:	3 km S of Posadas Airport, MI (PSS) - Argentina
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:	Resistencia Airport, CH (RES/SARE)
Destination airport:	Posadas Airport, MI (PSS/SARP)
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
Austral Lineas Aéreas flight 046 departed Buenos Aires-Aeroparque Jorge Newbery at 07:04 hours local time on a domestic flight to Resistencia and Posadas, Argentina. The first leg of the flight uneventful and the DC-9-81 aircraft departed Resistencia at 08:40 hours following a 26-minute stopover.
At 09:09, the crew established radio contact with the Posadas Tower controller, reporting at FL 090, VMC, at 30 NM from the airport. Some 7 minutes later the controller cleared the flight for a runway 01 VOR/DME approach, requesting the crew to report over the VOR, and cleared the flight to descend to 4000 feet. Weather at that time was very poor, with about 100 m visibility in fog.
At 09:20 the aircraft struck the top of a eucalyptus forest, at 3022 m (1,63 NM) from the runway 01 threshold.

PROBABLE CAUSE: "Impacto contra una arboleda y posterior incendio, debido a efectuar una aproximación por instrumentos, sin respetar lo indicado por la carta correspondiente para ese aeropuerto. " (Impact against woods and subsequent fire, due to carrying out an instrument approach, without respecting the indicated weather minima for that airport.)

Sources:

ICAO Adrep 3/88 (#17)
ICAO Adrep 6/88 (#52)
Informe Final de Investigación de Accidente de Aviación Civil / JIACA

Location

Images:

photo (c) Juan Manuel Bianchi; near Posadas; June 1988