Narrative:The aircraft struck a 300 feet hill, 4 miles short of the runway while on a VOR approach to runway 15 at Kuala Lumpur Subang International Airport (KUL), Malaysia.
The aircraft had descended below MDA of 750 feet.
Probable Cause:
The accident was caused by the captain descending below minimum descent altitude without having the runway in sight, and continuing the descent until the aircraft struck terrain four nautical miles short of the runway threshold.
A subsidiary contributory factor was insufficient monitoring of the aircraft's flight path by the captain under the adverse weather conditions with several aircraft in the holding pattern awaiting their turn for approach and, more importantly, the co-pilot's failure to challenge the captain's breach of company regulations.
Sources:
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JAL Safety Promotion Center
Photos
accident date:
27-09-1977type: McDonnell Douglas DC-8-62H
registration: JA8051
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does
not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Hong Kong-Kai Tak International Airport to Kuala Lumpur Subang International Airport as the crow flies is 2545 km (1591 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.