1990 Faucett Perú Boeing 727 disappearance
Newfoundland, Canada | |
| 4th stopover | Miami International Airport, Miami, Florida, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Destination | Jorge Chávez International Airport, Lima, Peru |
| Occupants | 16[b] |
| Passengers | 10 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Missing | 16 |
On 11 September 1990, a
Background
The aircraft involved was a 21-year-old Boeing 727-247, registered OB-1303, which first flew in 1969.[2] The aircraft had been leased to European carrier Air Malta for the summer season of 1990 by its owner Faucett Perú, and on the day of the disappearance was being ferried back from Malta to Peru at the end of its lease.[1][2] The aircraft had been painted in Air Malta livery for the summer and was known to have been still painted mostly white on the day of the disappearance (although it is not known whether it was still painted in Air Malta livery or had been re-painted with Faucett livery).[2][3]
On board were six crewmembers and ten passengers[2][b] consisting of airline employees and their families.[4] The employees included mechanics and other ground crew personnel who had been working in Malta.[1] It is believed an infant was on board and up to four women.[4] All of those on board were Peruvian nationals.[4]
The aircraft was scheduled to make refuelling stops during its journey at
Incident
Having refuelled at Keflavík, the aircraft left Iceland at 1:16 p.m. local time without incident.
The aircraft's last known location was around 250 miles (220 nmi; 400 km) southeast of the city of
Search
After not hearing from the flight for hours, a rescue attempt was launched by the
It was assumed that the aircraft had ditched at sea and could be found floating in the water.
Despite the search effort, the search aircraft reported finding no trace of the missing plane, and nothing was ever found from the flight.[1][2][8] Officials stated that the search was hampered by the plane's white colour, which made it difficult to spot it from the air.[3] The aircraft, the crew and passengers remain missing.
Aftermath
Originally, it was reported that a total of eighteen people were on board the plane at the time of its disappearance,[1][4] but Faucett officials later changed the number to fifteen because it was believed that three people had left the plane when it refuelled in Iceland.[3] Records now show that there were a total of sixteen people on board the aircraft when it disappeared.[2]
Transport Canada spokesman Lily Abbass stated in the aftermath that the jet was off course at the time of last contact, and officials speculated that the aircraft "got lost" during its journey.[4] The jet had strayed hundreds of miles from its intended route to Gander, and a reason for this could not be established.[4][6] Despite the pilots reporting that they did not have enough fuel, officials at Keflavík insisted there was no problem during the stopover there.[4] Officials from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) stated that they believed the aircraft had indeed ditched in the sea.[3]
An investigation into the disappearance by the Peruvian government was ongoing as of January 1991, but its findings are unknown.[7] The accident was eventually attributed to poor pilot planning.[8]
The story of the aircraft's disappearance briefly resurfaced after the much-publicised disappearance of another airliner in 2014,
Faucett Peru ceased operations in 1997 after several years of financial struggle.
See also
- 2003 Angola Boeing 727 disappearance – another Boeing 727 that disappeared thirteen years later
- List of missing aircraft
- List of people who disappeared mysteriously at sea
Notes
- ^ a b It is not known what London airport was used, if any. According to some contemporary sources, the first stopover was at Milan, not London.[1]
- ^ a b Originally, it was reported that a total of eighteen people were on board the plane at the time of its disappearance,[1][4] but Faucett officials later changed the number to fifteen because it was believed that three people had left the plane when it refuelled in Iceland.[3] Records now show that there was a total of sixteen people on board the aircraft when it disappeared.[2]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Claiborne, William (12 September 1990). "Peruvian Airliner Lost in Atlantic off Canada". Washington Post. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727-247 OB-1303 ..." Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Boeing 727 ditches in Atlantic". UPI Archives. 11 September 1990. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "Plane Carrying 18 Missing in Atlantic Off Newfoundland". Associated Press. 12 September 1990. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
- ^ "Faucett – Bureau of Aircraft Accident Archives". Bureau of Aircraft Accident Archives. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
- ^ a b "Search Continues For Missing Plane". Associated Press. 12 September 1990. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
- ^ a b "AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT REPORT MARKAIR, INC., BOEING 737-2X6C, N670MA CONTROLLED FLIGHT INTO TERRAIN UNALAKLEET, ALASKA JUNE 2,1990" (PDF). NTSB. 23 January 1991. p. 37.
- ^ a b c "From AF447 to MH370: How does a jet vanish in thin air? Possibilities explored". Hindustan Times. 11 March 2014. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
- ^ "Malaysia Airlines Plane: What Has Happened?". Sky News. 10 March 2014. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
- ^ "Mystery of missing jet recalls past disappearances". Yahoo!finance. Associated Press. 14 March 2014. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
- ^ "Truth about MH370 flight 'will emerge eventually'". The Scotsman. The Newsroom. 11 March 2014. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
External links
- January 1991 NTSB report into the crash of a MarkAir Boeing 737-2X6C at Unalakleet, Alaska, on June 2, 1990, contains a section alluding to the Faucett Peru 727 disappearance (page 37)