South African Airways Flight 295
Indian Ocean
| Date | 28 November 1987 |
|---|---|
| Location | Indian Ocean |
| Deaths | 159 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Description | Suspicious plane crash in the Indian Ocean |
South African Airways Flight 295 was a scheduled international passenger flight from Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei, Taiwan, to Jan Smuts International Airport, Johannesburg, South Africa, with a stopover in Plaisance Airport, Plaine Magnien, Mauritius. On 28 November 1987, the aircraft serving the flight, a Boeing 747-200 Combi named Helderberg, experienced a catastrophic in-flight fire in the cargo area, broke up in mid-air, and crashed into the Indian Ocean east of Mauritius, killing all 159 people on board.
Salvage
An extensive salvage operation was mounted to try to recover the aircraft's flight recorders, one of which was recovered from a depth of 4,900 metres (16,100 ft).
Official inquiry
The official inquiry, headed by Judge Cecil Margo, failed to determine the cause of the fire, leading to suspicion about the true nature of Flight SA 295's cargo.[1]
References
Wikipedia is not affiliated with Wikispooks. Original page source here