KT 301
6 Feb 1996 · Human Error (Crew)BIRGENAIR FLIGHT 301
Boeing 757-200 · Birgenair · Image: Wikimedia Commons
Why it happened
Blocked pitot tube gave false airspeed
Pitot-static system
Airspeed discrepancy
Stall warning
Aircraft
Boeing 757-200
Birgenair
Route
Puerto Plata (POP), Dominican Republic
→ Frankfurt (FRA), Germany
People
189 on board
189 fatalities
Date
6 Feb 1996
Flight crew
Captain: Ahmet Erdem
Category
Human Error (Crew)
When decisions in the cockpit seal the outcome.
THE STORY
A wasp nest likely blocked one pitot tube during weeks on the ground. The crew trusted the wrong airspeed and stalled into the Caribbean.