Sydney Airport - Accidents and Incidents

Accidents and Incidents

• On 19 July 1945 a Consolidated C-87 Liberator Express operated by the Royal Air Force bound for Manus Island failed to gain altitude after taking off from runway 22, struck trees and crashed into Muddy Creek, north of Brighton. The aircraft exploded on impact, killing all 12 passengers and crew on board. All the victims were service personnel, five from the RAF, one from the Royal New Zealand Air Force and six from the Royal Navy.

• On 18 June 1950 a Douglas DC-3 of Ansett Airways taxiing for take-off from Sydney's now non-existent runway 22 for a night-time passenger flight to Brisbane, hit and partially derailed a coal train travelling on the railway line that crossed the runway. Only the co-pilot was injured.

• On 30 November 1961, Ansett-ANA Flight 325, a Vickers Viscount, crashed into Botany Bay shortly after take-off. The starboard wing failed after the aircraft flew into a thunderstorm. All 15 people on board were killed.

• On 1 December 1969, Boeing 707-321B N892PA of Pan Am Flight 812 overran the runway during take-off due to bird strikes. The accident investigation established that the aircraft struck a flock of seagulls, with a minimum of 11 individual bird strikes to the leading edges of the wings and engines 1, 2, and 3. In particular, blade 14 of number 2 engine was damaged by a single bird carcass and lost power before the decision to abandon the take-off (which occurred at or near V₁). The aircraft came to rest 560 ft (170 m) beyond the end of runway 34 (now runway 34L). During the crash, number 2 engine hit the ground and was damaged. The nose and left main landing gears failed and the aircraft came to rest supported by engines 1 and 2, the nose, and the remainder of the main landing gear. There were no injuries or fatalities amongst the 125 passengers and 11 crew. The accident investigation concluded that the overrun was not inevitable.

• On 21 February 1980, VH-AAV, a Beechcraft Super King Air took off from Sydney Airport and suffered an engine failure. The pilot flew the aircraft back to the Airport and attempted to land but crashed into the sea wall. All 13 people on board died in the accident.

• On 24 April 1994, Douglas DC-3 VH-EDC of South Pacific Airmotive had an engine malfunction shortly after take-off on a charter flight to Norfolk Island. The engine was feathered but airspeed decayed and it was found to be impossible to maintain height. A successful ditching was carried out into Botany Bay. All four crew and 21 passengers safely evacuated the aircraft. The investigation revealed that the propeller was not fully feathered.

• On 23 March 2009, Terminal 3 was the scene of a brawl involving 10 people in the two rival bikie gangs, the Hells Angels and Comancheros. The brawl left one man dead and was witnessed by over 50 travelers, CCTV cameras and airport staff including airport security who could do little to intervene.