The Trans Service Airlift Lockheed L-188 crash occurred on 18 December 1995 when a Lockheed L-188C Electra owned by

Trans Service Airlift Trans Service Airlift (TSA, French: ''Service de transport aérien'') was an airline based at N'djili Airport, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was privately owned and operated in years 1991–1998. Accidents and incidents *On Dece ...

crashed near Jamba, Angola, killing 141 of the passengers and crew. Trans Service Airlift (TSA), was a private company headquartered at Ndjili Airport,

Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ), formerly named Léopoldville from 1881–1966 (), is the Capital city, capital and Cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa is one of the world's fastest-grow ...

. The Electra was one of a number of ageing aircraft operated by TSA. Built in 1959, it was sold to TSA in 1992, after service with other operators. On the date of the accident, the aircraft was flying a special charter for

UNITA The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (, abbr. UNITA) is the second-largest political party in Angola. Founded in 1966, UNITA fought alongside the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and the National Liberat ...

. Following the 1993 trade embargo on UNITA there were frequent "sanction busting" flights out of Zaire. TSA was one of the companies cited in connection with these operations. These flights rarely carried weapons (which were typically supplied over ground routes); usual cargoes were personnel, fuels, food, and medical supplies. The Angolan Government later claimed the aircraft was carrying weapons. The aircraft, with 139 passengers and five crew members, was carrying forty more people than the plane was designed to carry, without taking cargo into account. It crashed two minutes after take-off. Some reports speculate that cargo may have slid to the back of the plane, resulting in a weight imbalance and causing the crash. Initial reports by Zairean officials stated that the plane crashed near Cahungula,

Lunda Norte Province Lunda Norte () is a province of Angola. It has an area of 103,760 km² and a population of 862,566. Angola's first President, Agostinho Neto, made Lucapa the provincial capital after independence, but the capital was later moved to Dundo. ...

, while transporting diamond miners from

Zaire Zaire, officially the Republic of Zaire, was the name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1971 to 18 May 1997. Located in Central Africa, it was, by area, the third-largest country in Africa after Sudan and Algeria, and the 11th-la ...

's capital,

. The co-pilot and two passengers survived the initial crash. The accident was the deadliest plane crash in 1995 until the crash of

American Airlines Flight 965 American Airlines Flight 965 was a regularly scheduled flight from Miami International Airport in Miami, Florida, to Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport in Cali, Colombia. On December 20, 1995, the Boeing 757-200 flying this route ...

two days later. It remains the deadliest ever plane crash in Angola.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trans Service Airlift Lockheed L-188 Crash Aviation accidents and incidents in Angola Aviation accidents and incidents in 1995 Accidents and incidents involving the Lockheed L-188 Electra Trans Service Airlift accidents and incidents 1995 in Angola December 1995 in Africa 1995 disasters in Angola

See also

References