Ethiopian Air Lines Flight 372

Ethiopian Airlines Flight 372

A Douglas C-47 Skytrain similar to the accident aircraft
Occurrence
Date	15 July 1960
Summary	Controlled flight into terrain due to pilot error
Site	Near Jimma, Ethiopia
Aircraft
Aircraft type	C-47 Skytrain
Operator	Ethiopian Air Lines
Registration	ET-T-18
Flight origin	Bulki, Ethiopia
Destination	Aba Segud Airport
Passengers	8
Crew	3
Fatalities	1
Injuries	10
Survivors	10

On 15 July 1960, at 09:04, Ethiopian Air Lines Flight 372, a C-47 Skytrain registered as ET-T-18, took off from Bulki, Ethiopia, on a short-haul flight to Aba Segud Airport, Jimma, Ethiopia. There were eight passengers, three crew and a cargo of coffee on board. At 09:40, the pilot requested the activation of the Jimma non-directional beacon (NDB) to assist his navigation. There was no further contact with the flight. The aircraft was found to have crashed at 9,400 feet into the side of a mountain 27.5 km (17.1 mi) south of Jimma, killing one of the pilots and leaving the passengers and remaining crew injured. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Cause

It was determined that the accident was caused by the following:

1. The pilot misjudged the weather conditions, in that he continued to fly into deteriorating weather conditions while trying to maintain visual flight rules.

2. The pilot misjudged the performance capabilities of the aircraft, in that he attempted to climb at a speed below the minimum safe climbing speed of the aircraft.