1979 Interflug Ilyushin Il-18 crash

Interflug

Industry	Airline
Founded	1963
Defunct	1991
Headquarters	East Berlin , East Germany
Key people	Klaus Henckes (CEO)

Template:Infobox aircraft occurrence On 26 March 1979, an Ilyushin IL-18 crashed shortly after initiating takeoff from Quatro de Fevereiro Airport in Luanda, Angola, resulting in the loss of all ten individuals aboard.

Background

Following Angola’s independence in 1975, governance was established under the MPLA (People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola), which received backing from the Soviet Union and other Eastern Bloc nations. The Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU), engaged in combat against apartheid in Southern Rhodesia, was also supported by communist states. For an upcoming ZAPU military operation, substantial armaments were shipped by sea from East Germany to the port of Luanda, with plans to airlift these weapons onward to Lusaka, Zambia—a neighboring country sympathetic to ZAPU’s cause. Due to limitations with TAAG Angola Airlines’s capacity to transport this cargo, an Ilyushin Il-18 freighter operated by Interflug was leased for the task, intended to move approximately 500 tons of weaponry. Given that international treaties forbade such shipments, the entire operation was conducted covertly. Upon arrival in Luanda, the flight crew and maintenance personnel were scheduled to remain until the mission concluded.

Aircraft and crew

The airplane involved was an Ilyushin Il-18D bearing registration DM-STL, originally manufactured for Interflug in 1966 as a passenger model. In 1974, it underwent modification to become an Il-18Gr cargo aircraft.

The flight team included Captain Dieter Hartmann (44 years old), First Officer Jochen Wilsdorf (29), Navigator Horst Umlauft (45), and Flight Engineer Frank-Rolf John (35).

Accident

The airplane departed with a takeoff weight of 60.5 tons. Shortly after beginning the takeoff roll, precisely 56 seconds in, engine number two experienced a failure. An attempt was made to abort the takeoff, but there was not enough runway left to stop safely. The aircraft exceeded the runway's end at considerable speed, struck the instrument landing system antennas, and ignited. Tragically, all 10 individuals aboard lost their lives.

Investigation

The inquiry was conducted by the airline under the leadership of Interflug's CEO, Klaus Henckes. The investigative panel determined that aborting the takeoff was an improper choice because the decision occurred after passing V₁. For this flight, V₁ was set at 120 knots, yet the takeoff was halted at a speed of 268 km/h. Captain Hartmann initially attempted to lift off despite the engine malfunction but subsequently decided to reject the takeoff, likely due to concerns over insufficient engine thrust.

Aftermath

Because of the sensitive nature of the transported goods, Angola's official report to ICAO described the cargo as humanitarian aid. Following this incident, the Socialist Unity Party of Germany resolved to proceed with the cargo delivery mission and dispatched another Ilyushin Il-18 aircraft (registration DM-STP) on April 2, 1979.