Inex-Adria Aviopromet Flight 1308 facts for kids
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YU-ANA, the aircraft involved in the accident, 1981.
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| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 1 December 1981 |
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain due to pilot error |
| Place | Mont San-Pietro, near Ajaccio, Corsica, France |
| Passengers | 173 |
| Crew | 7 |
| Fatalities | 180 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft type | McDonnell Douglas MD-81 |
| Airline/user | Inex-Adria Aviopromet |
| Registration | YU-ANA |
| Flew from | Brnik Airport |
| Flying to | Ajaccio - Campo dell'Oro Airport |
Inex-Adria Aviopromet Flight 1308 was a McDonnell Douglas MD-81 airplane. It was flying a special trip from Yugoslavia to the French island of Corsica. On December 1, 1981, the plane crashed into Mont San-Pietro in Corsica. All 180 people on board died.
This accident was the first big crash involving a McDonnell Douglas MD-80 airplane. It was also the second-deadliest plane crash in France's history, after Turkish Airlines Flight 981.
The Accident
Flight 1308 started its journey from Brnik Airport in Slovenia. At that time, Slovenia was part of Yugoslavia. The plane was carrying 173 Slovenian tourists and 7 crew members to Ajaccio, the capital city of Corsica.
While the plane was waiting to land, it was told to fly lower than the safe height of 6,800 feet. As the plane flew down, its Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) made loud beeping sounds. This system warns pilots if they are too close to the ground. The pilots did not react to these warnings for about ten seconds.
Just three seconds before the crash, the crew tried to make the engines more powerful and climb higher. But it was too late. One of the plane's wings hit the top of Mont San-Pietro and broke off. The plane then fell out of control and crashed violently on the other side of the mountain. Everyone on board died. The accident happened at 8:53 a.m. local time.
The Investigation
After the accident, an investigation began to find out what happened. It was found that the air traffic controllers thought Flight 1308 was flying over the sea. But the plane was actually 15 kilometers (about 9 miles) inland, over the mountains of Corsica.
The pilots seemed surprised when they were told to fly lower. They told the air traffic control several times that they were still in their waiting area. The air traffic control agreed with them. The crew was not familiar with the airport or the area around it. This was the first time Inex-Adria Aviopromet had flown to Corsica.
The investigation found that the way the pilots and the air traffic controller talked to each other was not clear. This unclear communication played a big part in the accident. The air traffic controller was later moved to another airport in France.
At the time of the crash, the Ajaccio airport did not have a radar system to track planes. Because of this accident, the airport's equipment was made better, and the way planes approached the airport was changed to be safer.
2008 Clean-up Operation
After the accident in 1981, some parts of the plane and human remains were removed from the crash site. In 2007, a TV station in Slovenia called POP TV made a news report about the accident. They visited the crash site in Corsica. They found many parts of the plane still spread out on Mont San-Pietro. The area was very rough and hard to reach.
Because of this report, the Government of Slovenia, Adria Airways, and Kompas (the Slovenian travel agency that planned the trip in 1981) worked together. They organized and paid for a clean-up operation. In May 2008, a team from Slovenia went to the mountain. This team had about 60 soldiers, mountain rescuers, civil protection members, medical staff, and other volunteers.
They removed about 27 tons of plane parts. This included one of the plane's engines and large parts of the wing. Some pieces were so big that they had to be cut into smaller parts by machines. Then, a helicopter carried them off the mountain. Some human remains were also found and were handled with respect. A special plaque was put up at the spot where the plane's wing first hit the mountain.
See also
In Spanish: Vuelo 1308 de Inex-Adria Aviopromet para niños
