LAN-Chile Flight 160 explained

Occurrence Type:Accident
LAN-Chile Flight 160
Date:April 28, 1969
Type:Controlled flight into terrain
Site:Near Colina, Chile
Origin:Ministro Pistarini International Airport, Argentina
Destination:Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport, Chile
Occupants:60
Passengers:52
Crew:8
Injuries:0
Fatalities:0
Survivors:60
Aircraft Type:Boeing 727-116
Operator:LAN-Chile
Tail Number:CC-CAQ

LAN-Chile Flight 160 was a Boeing 727-116 on a flight from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Santiago, Chile carrying 8 crew and 52 passengers which crashed during approach to Santiago on April 28, 1969.

Details of flight

Flight 160 took off from Ministro Pistarini International Airport at 23:56 GMT (20:56 local time), but when nearing Santiago the Boeing 727 descended below the minimum height of 2829 feet and kept on descending until it struck the ground in farm land north of Colina, Chile.[1]

Survivors

While the aircraft was damaged beyond repair in the crash, none of the 60 passengers and crew were killed or injured.

Cause

The cause of the accident was excessive concentration by the crew on the indications given by the flight director instrument, which was being incorrectly used on a direct instrument landing system (ILS) approach. The crew did not check other instruments, which showed that the aircraft was descending below its glidepath.[2]

Notes and References

  1. "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727-116 CC-CAQ Colina". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
  2. "Air Safety:The 1969 Accident Record:Non-Fatal Accidents-Public Transport Aircraft 1969". Flight International, January 15, 1970.