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Category: <span>Nambia</span>

Mozambique Plane Crash Final Report


On Jan 9th 2014 Namibia’s Accident Investigation Commission released the preliminary report of the LAM E190 crash over Botswana/Namibia on Nov 29th 2013. The conclusion at that time was that the captain intentionally crashed the aircraft. On November 29, 2013, there were 28 passengers and 6 crew aboard the Embraer ERJ-190 flown by LAM Linhas Aereas de Mocambique, and it was enroute at FL380 over northern Botswana when the flight descended and radio contact was lost. The burned out wreckage was located by villagers in Bwabwata National Park (Sambesi Region) on Nov 30. A news article on April 15 2016 indicated that the final report was released, although we have not verified it.

The captain in charge of the aircraft, Herminio dos Santos Fernandes, was alone in the cockpit at the time of the crash. The copilot had left for the lavatory.

The unverified article says that the final report was compiled by Theo Shilongo, deputy director of the directorate of aircraft accident investigations, who was the investigator in charge, and Hafeni Mweshixwa as the co-investigator. It was signed off by works and transport minister Alpheus Naruseb. When it is available to the public, it should be available at the Directorate of Aircraft Accident Investigations Namibia (DAAI).

An interim report of the accident is below. The interim report indicates “The DAAI will provide updates on the investigation and safety recommendations as they become available until completion of the final report” in accordance with the provisions of ICAO Annex 13.

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Helicopter Crash Takes Away Four Lives in Namibia

Helicopter crashA military helicopter carrying ten persons crashed on the runway of an airbase in Nimibia’s Grootfontein this Friday.

Xinhua, the spokesperson of the Namibian Ministry of Defense confirmed that the accident occurred just after the helicopter took off. Four people were killed while six others were injured. The injured were rushed to Windhoek for medical care.

The cause of the accident is not known at the moment.


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Slow ID in November 2013 LAM Crash

Identification of the remains of those aboard the LAM Embraer-190 that crashed en route from Maputo to Luanda is moving at a snails pace. Sixteen of the 33 fatalities have been identified, mostly, according to police reports, by fingerprint evidence.

The scientists who are making the identification are working with fragments.

I am not a scientist, and it does not appear that the scientists in this case are using DNA identification. But I did uncover an article here where a forensic scientist explicitly lists the time it takes for DNA identification. This reference might prove useful in providing some kind of framework to the families who are waiting for remains of their recently lost family members to be identified if the Mozambique investigation turns to DNA identification. The families have been waiting since the date of the crash, 29 November 2013.

The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and the flight data recorder (FDR), were recovered from the crash site within four days of the crash. But the preliminary report only says:

NTSB Identification: DCA14RA018
Accident occurred Saturday, November 30, 2013 in Rundu, Namibia
Aircraft: EMBRAER ERJ190 – UNDESIGNAT, registration:
Injuries: 33 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. The foreign authority was the source of this information.

The Namibia Ministry of Works and Transport (MWT) has notified the NTSB of an accident involving an Embraer ERJ-190 that occurred on November 30, 2013. The NTSB has appointed a U.S. Accredited Representative to assist the MWT investigation under the provisions of ICAO Annex 13 as the State of Manufacturer and Design of the engines.

All investigative information will be released by the MWT.

Read more

Read more


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Early Preliminary Response on Mozambique Airlines Crash

The Mozambique Airlines Embraer 190 disappeared from radar when entering Namibian airspace but Mozambican authorities took over three hours to inform Namibian ATC that the plane had gone missing. Heavy rain in the area led to poor visibility. Was the pilot was deliberately flying low or had lightning possibly damaged the plane?

Head of the Mozambique’s Civil Aviation Institute (IACM) Joao Abreu made some statements to the press.

Abreu said just before the Embraer 190 hit the ground, Captain Herminio dos Santos Fernandes locked himself in the cockpit, ignored warnings and did not allow his co-pilot back in.

Abreu said that Captain Herminio dos Santos Fernandes manipulated the Embraer 190’s autopilot in a way which “denotes a clear intention” to bring the plane down;

Abreu said that “During these actions you can hear low and high-intensity alarm signals and repeated beating against the door with demands to come into the cockpit.”

Input from the black boxes indicated that the altitude was changed three times from 38,000 feet to 592, and the spoilers were deployed and held.

The captain had 9,053 hours of flying time, 1,395 of them as the captain of an Embraer.

Do we really know what was going on in the cockpit of the plane as it went down in the Bwabwata National Park in north-east Namibia? Do we have any idea what went on in the mind of Captain Herminio dos Santos Fernandes?

I think not. I think it is too soon to make presumptions. I believe the investigation, if it is performed to industry standards—which may be a challenge, given Mozambique’s safety standards as regarded by the EU—has much more to reveal.

*Don’t watch the video below if you have a weak stomach. U.S. News does not carry such graphic images.

Mozambique Crash Video


DNA tests will be performed on the 31 bodies so far recovered from the Namibia’s Bwabwata National Park, site of the crash of Mozambique Airlines Flight 470, a Embraer ERJ 190-100 IGW (ERJ-190AR) with 33 aboard. The plane is a total wreck, Written off (damaged beyond repair), burnt wreckage scattered in a low impact crash, possibly the result of bad weather.

The hundred-seat plane was only 1 / 3 full.

Recently revealed facts

  • Only one body was found intact according to Theo Shilongo, investigation leader.
  • The pilot was in Botswanan airspace when the pilot notified ATC of problems, though it took Mozambiqan authorities 3 hours to inform Nambia that the plane was off radar.
  • The search was called off due to bad weather, but the next day locals called in reporting the crash.
  • The wreckage will be transported to Rundu for investigation.
  • The remains have been transported to Windhoek.
  • An Angolan Pop artist, Jose Pascoal Luvuala (AKA Action Nigga) is among the dead.
  • Angola Inspector General in the Ministry of Finance, Manuel John Landa and two colleagues are among the dead.

Video of the Debris Field

Thirty-four Missing in Nambia

Updated
A Linhas Aéreas de Moçambique Embraer ERJ 190-100 IGW (ERJ-190AR) disappeared in bad weather with poor visibility while en route from Luanda Airport Angola to Maputo International in Mozambique when it lost contact with ATC at 11:26 on Friday 29 November 2013.

The plane disappeared. A fruitless search Friday was cancelled due to rain and resumed Saturday. The wreckage was found in Nambia on Saturday. It had crashed in Bwabwata National Park-a protected game area and migration route 2,422 square miles. None of the twenty-seven passengers or six crew survived.

The wreckage was found burned out, the bodies scattered, near the Angola-Botswana border in a wilderness area. The black boxes were recovered by investigators.

PRESS RELEASE (Translated)

07:00 pm (Maputo), November 30, 2013
It is with great pain and consternation that LAM confirms the tragic event of crash of the Embraer 190 aircraft with registration C9-EMC that made the flight TM470 Maputo-Luanda, last November 29, 2013.

At the end of the morning, the Namibian aviation authorities confirmed that the search and rescue team had located the place where the plane crashed in the North of Namibia, there are no survivors.

Right now, our prayers and our full attention go to the relatives of the passengers and crew who were aboard this plane, dedicating all our moral and psychological support in order to minimize the pain for the loss of their loved ones. This is our priority.

As the first form of assistance the LAM established a family support centre at the airports of Maputo and Luanda. Were assigned to these centers, specialized professionals for this type of events with the aim of providing the due advice to families. At the same time our legal department is working to give all judicial assistance with regard to the procedures to be followed after a plane crash where there have been fatalities.

We put at the disposal of the members of the affected families, a dedicated line for which you can call and get information. The number is: +258 21468778/9.

The flight TM470 took on board 27 passengers and 6 crew members.

The nationalities of the passengers were the following:

Mozambique (10);
Angola (9);
Portugal (5);
France (1);
China (1);
Brazil (1).

The crew comprised two pilots and three cabin crew and a technician.

LAM has already informed the embassies of countries whose citizens perished in this accident.

Engage an international company specializing in the management of disasters of this nature, Kenyon International, to support the efforts of the search and recovery of the remains of the victims and their belongings. For families this aspect is quite important because it will enable the identification of each person who was aboard this flight.

Part of Kenyon’s team is already on the way from the crash site being that the other party will join them tomorrow, arrived from England. We hope to have a clearer assessment about the scene of the accident throughout the day tomorrow, Sunday.

LAM sent this afternoon for Namibia an emergency response team to provide all the support to the authorities who are investigating this accident. According to international aviation rules, Namibia, a country where the accident occurred, should lead the investigation. Aeronautical authorities of Mozambique, Angola, Brazil and the air transport safety Bureau of the United States will also participate in the investigation.

Do we still have information about the circumstances in which the accident occurred, and we can’t even speculate on the likely causes of the same, since we should give time and space for researchers to conduct their work without interference.

Here’s the info on the plane involved in this accident:

The Embraer 190 Aircraft type);

B) Registration: C9-EMC;

C) capacity: 93 seats (9 Business and Economic 84);

D) manufacturing Country: Brazil;

E) powerplant: 2 General Electric CF34 engines-10 turbofan engines;

F) delivery date: November 17, 2012.

Until the date of the accident the plane had performed 2905 hours of flight time and flight 1877.

Finally we would like to express our thanks to the Governments of Namibia, Angola, Botswana and South Africa for their support and resources provided to rescue teams.

We owe our thanks to the volunteers and individuals who provided in support to families of the victims.

We will give more information as they become available.

We appeal to all the greater solidarity and support as possible in regard to pain and privacy of families affected.

Note:we ask journalists who wish to more information are kindly requested to contact the Office of institutional communication through numbers 827846815/825777946.

LAM will provide up-to-date information through the website: www.LAM.co.mz

PRESS RELEASE (Translated)

09:00 pm (Maputo), November 29, 2013

LAM-Linhas Aéreas de Moçambique, s. a. reports that the flight departed from 470 TM Maputo international airport at 11:26 hours today, November 29, 2013, en route to Luanda, the Angolan capital, had its landing scheduled for the 14: 10:0, local time. Follow aboard 28 passengers and 6 crew members.

Information obtained gives indication of the aircraft have landed in Rundo, northern Namibia, bordering Botswana and Angola.

Currently LAM, Aeronautics and airport authorities are committed to establish contacts in order to confirm the information.

LAM will provide more information as the investigations are ongoing.

For additional information, contact the Office of institutional communication of LAM through Norberto Mucopa: 82 7846815 and Irina Matos: 825777946.

Maputo, November 29, 2013

See Video


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Wings Over Africa Cargo Crash


Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Zak Economides

What: Sun Road Trading 10 CC / Wings Over Africa Cessna 208B Grand Caravan en route from Eros Airport, Windhoek to Rio Longa, Angola
Where: Eros Airport, Windhoek
When: Nov 15 2009
Who: 4 on board, 2 fatalities
Why: Just after takeoff from Eros Airport just after takeoff, the plane the ground and ploughed into foliage.

The crash is under investigation, another casualty statistic of Nambian aviation.

The crash is under investigation.

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