1979 Interflug Ilyushin Il-18 crash

Airplane crash in Luanda, Angola

1979 Interflug Ilyushin Il-18 crash

An Interflug Il-18, similar to the one involved in the crash

Accident
Date| March 26, 1979 (1979-03-26)
Summary| Overshoot runway due to engine failure and pilot error
Site| Quatro de Fevereiro Airport, Luanda, Angola
8°52′41″N 13°12′42″W﻿ / ﻿8.87806°N 13.21167°W﻿ / 8.87806; -13.21167
Aircraft
Aircraft type| Ilyushin Il-18D
Operator| Interflug
Registration| DM-STL
Flight origin| Quatro de Fevereiro Airport, Luanda, Angola
Destination| Lusaka International Airport, Lusaka, Zambia
Passengers| 6
Crew| 4
Fatalities| 10
Survivors| 0

On 26 March 1979, an Ilyushin IL-18 crashed during takeoff from Quatro de Fevereiro Airport in Luanda, Angola, killing all ten people on board.

## Background

[edit]

When Angola gained independence in 1975, power was in the hands of the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MLPA), which was supported by the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc. The Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU), which fought for the abolition of apartheid in Southern Rhodesia, also enjoyed the support of communist countries. For the planned ZAPU offensive, heavy weapons were delivered to the port of Luanda from East Germany by sea, which were planned to be further transported by air to Lusaka, Zambia, which bordered Southern Rhodesia (their government also supported ZAPU). As TAAG Angola Airlines could not transport these deliveries, an Il-18 cargo aircraft from Interflug was chartered instead, which was supposed to carry a total of 500 tons of weapons. Because the transportation of such cargo was prohibited by international agreements, the operation was carried out in secrecy. The plane arrived in Luanda, where the crew and technical staff were supposed to stay until the mission was completed.[1]

## Aircraft and crew

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The aircraft was an Ilyushin Il-18D (registered as DM-STL) that was built and delivered to Interflug in 1966 as a passenger aircraft.[2] In 1974, it was converted to an Il-18Gr freighter.[3]

The crew consisted of captain Dieter Hartmann (44), first officer Jochen Wilsdorf (29), navigator Horst Umlauft (45), and flight engineer Frank-Rolf John (35).[1][4]

## Accident

[edit]

The aircraft took off with a take-off weight of 60.5 tons. 56 seconds into the takeoff roll, engine #2 failed. The takeoff was rejected, but there was insufficient runway remaining. The aircraft overran the end of the runway at high speed, collided with the instrument landing system antennas and burst into flames. All 10 people on board were killed.[5]

## Investigation

[edit]

The investigation was carried out by the airline led by Interflug's CEO, Klaus Henckes. The commission found that the decision to abort the takeoff was inappropriate, since the aircraft had aborted its takeoff after V1 at 145 knots (269 km/h; 167 mph). The V1 speed of the accident flight was 120 knots (220 km/h; 140 mph), but the takeoff was aborted at 268 kilometres per hour (145 kn; 167 mph). Captain Hartmann attempted to rotate the aircraft despite the failure, but then rejected the takeoff, presumably concerned that the engines would not provide enough thrust.[1][6]

## Aftermath

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Due to the classified nature of the cargo, Angola's report to ICAO stated that the aircraft was carrying humanitarian aid.[1]

The Socialist Unity Party of Germany decided to continue the cargo transfer operation and sent another Ilyushin Il-18 (registration DM-STP) on 2 April 1979.[1]

## References

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1. ^ a b c d e "DM-STL" (in German). Archived from the original on 2018-12-11. Retrieved 2018-02-12.
2. ^ "Il-18D c/n 186009402". Soviet Transports Database. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
3. ^ Billig, Detlef; Meyer, Manfred (2002). Flugzeuge der DDR [GDR aircraft] (in German). Vol. 1\. TOM Modellbau. p. 187\. ISBN 9783613021976.
4. ^ "Crash of an Ilyushin II-18D in Luanda: 10 killed". www.baaa-acro.com. Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
5. ^ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Ilyushin Il-18D DM-STL Luanda-4 de Fevereiro Airport (LAD)". Aviation Safety Network. Flight Safety Foundation. Archived from the original on 2013-07-20. Retrieved 2018-02-12.
6. ^ Yakubovich, N. V. (2013). Все самолеты Ильюшина. Самая полная энциклопедия [All Ilyushin aircraft. The most complete encyclopedia] (in Russian). Moscow: Eksmo. p. 146\. ISBN 978-5-699-65600-4.

* v
* t
* e

Aviation accidents and incidents in 1979 (1979)

Jan 30

Varig Flight 967

Feb 12

Air Rhodesia Flight 827

Feb 17

Air New Zealand Flight 4374

Mar 13

Royal Jordanian Flight 600

Mar 17

Aeroflot Flight 1691

Mar 26

Interflug Ilyushin Il-18 crash

Mar 29

Quebecair Flight 255

Apr 4

TWA Flight 841

Apr 23

SAETA Flight 011

May 25

American Airlines Flight 191

May 30

Downeast Airlines Flight 46

Jun 17

Air New England Flight 248

Jun 20

American Airlines Flight 293

Jul 11

Garuda Fokker F28 crash

Jul 26

Lufthansa Cargo Flight 527

Jul 31

Dan-Air Flight 0034

Aug 11

Dniprodzerzhynsk mid-air collision

Aug 29

Aeroflot Flight 5484

Sep 14

Aero Trasporti Italiani Flight 12

Oct 7

Swissair Flight 316

Oct 8

Comair Flight 444

Oct 31

Western Airlines Flight 2605

Nov 11

Manises UFO incident

Nov 15

American Airlines Flight 444

Nov 26

Pakistan International Airlines Flight 740

Nov 28

Mount Erebus disaster

Dec 18

Mosfellsheiði air crashes

Dec 23

Turkish Airlines Ankara crash

1978   ◄    ►   1980

* v
* t
* e

Aviation accidents and incidents in Angola

1970s|

* Interflug Ilyushin Il-18 crash (March 1979)

1980s|

* TAAG Flight 462 (November 1983)
* Aeroflot Antonov An-12 shootdown (November 1985)
* Jamba Lockheed Hercules crash (November 1989)

1990s|

* Trans Service Airlift Electra crash (December 1995)
* Transafrik International Flight 806 (December 1998)
* Transafrik International Lockheed Hercules crash (January 1999)

2000s|

* ASA Pesada Antonov An-24 crash (November 2000)

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