ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 737-2K9 TJ-CBE Douala Airport (DLA)
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Status:Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Date:Sunday 3 December 1995
Time:22:44
Type:Silhouette image of generic B732 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Boeing 737-2K9
Operator:Cameroon Airlines
Registration: TJ-CBE
MSN: 23386/1143
First flight: 1985-08-14 (10 years 4 months)
Total airframe hrs:18746
Cycles:23233
Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney JT8D-15A
Crew:Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 5
Passengers:Fatalities: 68 / Occupants: 71
Total:Fatalities: 71 / Occupants: 76
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Aircraft fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:1,7 km (1.1 mls) S of Douala Airport (DLA) (   Cameroon)
Crash site elevation: 2 m (7 feet) amsl
Phase: Approach (APR)
Nature:International Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport:Cotonou Airport (COO/DBBB), Benin
Destination airport:Douala Airport (DLA/FKKD), Cameroon
Flightnumber:UY3701
Narrative:
A Boeing 737-2K9 passenger plane, operated by Cameroon Airlines, was destroyed in an accident at Douala, Cameroon. Five of the 76 occupants survived the accident.
The Boeing 737, named "Nyong", operated on a passenger flight from Cotonou, Benin to Douala, Cameroon. The flight departed at 20:22 UTC and climbed to the cruising altitude of FL330. The en route and descent were uneventful. At 21:32 UTC the flight was cleared for an approach to runway 30. Nine minutes later the flight reported 3,5 NM out at 1100 feet with runway in sight. The tower controller then cleared the flight to land. The aircraft overflew the runway threshold and started to climb. The flight radioed that they were 'having problems' and that they would report back. The tower controller then saw the aircraft in a sharp left hand turn. The airplane descended until it impacted a mangrove swamp.

Probable Cause:

PROBABLE CAUSES (translated from French):
The probable cause of the accident is a of loss of control during a go-around attempt made during a maneuver to reach the runway with degraded performance.
Seriously contributing to this:
1 - The detachment by structural fatigue of a first stage compressor blade of the No. 1 engine which resulted in a loss of power and destabilization of the trajectory when landing
2 - The late or slow execution of the go-around procedure with an unidentified single-engine configuration, leading to irreversible loss of speed.

Accident investigation:

cover
Investigating agency: CCAA
Status: Investigation completed
Accident number: Final report
Download report: Final report

Classification:

Loss of control

Sources:
» ICAO Adrep Summary 1/96


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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 Cotonou Airport to Douala Airport as the crow flies is 849 km (531 miles).
Accident location: Exact; as reported in the official accident report.

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.
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Boeing 737-200

  • 1114 built
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 Cameroon
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