February 8, 1989
Santa Maria, Azores, Portugal
Independent Air Inc, Flight 1851
Boeing B-707-331B
N7231T
The airliner hit a mountain while attempting to
land at Santa Maria. The crew mistakenly continued to descend through 3,000 ft.
which it was clear to. Because of a overlap in communications, the tower did not
notice the mistake. The aircraft continued to descend and did not comment or
react to warnings from the GPSW for 7 seconds. The aircraft then hit Pico Alto
mountain at an altitude of 2,000 ft. All 144 aboard killed.
RDO = Radio communications
CAM 1 = Captain
CAM 2 = co-pilot
CAM 3 = flight engineer
TWR = Santa Maria Tower
() = Questionable speech
# = Nonpertinent speech
-- = Unintelligeble
13.56:47 | TWR | Independent Air one eight five one roger you're cleared to three thousand feet on QNH one zero two seven and ah runway will be one niner. |
13.56:59 | RDO-2 | We're cleared to two thousand feet and a ... one zero two seven. |
13.57:05 | CAM-1 | Make it three. |
CAM-? | -- | |
13.57:12 | CAM-2 | Is that what he said ten twenty seven on the millibars. |
CAM-1 | Yeap. | |
CAM-3 | Seat ... belt sign. | |
CAM-2 | It's on. | |
CAM-3 | Window heat. | |
CAM-2 | Low. | |
CAM-3 | Anti-ice. | |
CAM-2 | Off. | |
CAM-3 | Logo lights. | |
CAM-2 | Off. | |
CAM-3 | Emergency brake pressure. | |
CAM-3 | Brake pressure. | |
CAM-2 | (OK) | |
13.57:37 | CAM-3 | Altimeters. |
CAM-1 | Set and crosscheck. | |
CAM-2 | Set and crosscheck. | |
13.57:43 | CAM-3 | Landing data EPR and airspeed bugs. |
CAM-1 | One twenty five. | |
CAM-2 | One twenty five on the right. | |
CAM-1 | Eighty-two seventy-nine. | |
CAM-2 | Set and crosschecked. | |
CAM-3 | Seatbelt and shoulder harness. | |
CAM-1 | On the left. | |
CAM-2 | Secured. | |
CAM-3 | () | |
13.58:09 | CAM-3 | We're havin' fun now. |
CAM-1 | Hey hey. | |
CAM-2 | We're havin' fun now aren't we. | |
CAM-? | Yeah. | |
13.58:16 | CAM-3 | Almost as much fun -- |
CAM-? | I haven't heard that one. | |
CAM-? | I hadn't either. | |
CAM-? | Where'd you hear that ... where'd you come with that. | |
CAM-? | Yeah. | |
CAM-? | -- | |
CAM-? | [Laughter] | |
13.58:49 | CAM-1 | # |
13.59:02 | CAM-2 | Why is this DME a hundred and ninety eight miles we are closer than that. |
CAM-2 | () | |
13.59:08 | CAM-2 | I don't think they got a ... I don't think they got a DME at Santa Maria. |
13.59:15 | CAM-2 | We got to be close to it. |
13.59:18 | CAM-1 | Seventy miles. |
13.59:32 | CAM-2 | Out of ten. |
CAM-? | [Sound] | |
14.02:14 | CAM-2 | Rudder Leon. |
CAM-2 | Leon. | |
CAM-1 | (Whenever you're ready) maestro. | |
CAM-? | Maestro ... ah ah. | |
14.02:28 | CAM-1 | () Ain't too hot out here. |
14.02:31 | CAM-? | Yeah we'll get down below ... depends on what level those are. |
CAM-? | [Trim sound] | |
CAM-? | [Whistling] | |
14.03:18 | CAM-2 | OK I'm gonna go ahead and put the ILS on mine Leon. |
CAM-1 | OK. | |
CAM-2 | One ten three. | |
14.03:55 | CAM-2 | Ah after two thousand yeah we'll get below these clouds. |
14.04:19 | CAM-1 | In case we don't ... one eight seven is the outbound. |
CAM-2 | Yeah. | |
CAM-? | [laughter] | |
CAM-? | () | |
14.05:41 | CAM-2 | Ah thousand to go. |
14.05:43 | CAM-? | (One to go) |
14.05:51 | CAM-? | [Sound of engine igniters] |
14.06:01 | CAM-3 | There is the island. |
CAM-2 | Where is the airport. | |
CAM-? | On the other side of the island. | |
14.06:15 | CAM-? | [Sound of altitude alert - 500ft above selected altitude] |
14.06:17 | CAM-2 | (Four hundred) to go |
CAM-2 | (Don't know if we are going to get visual or not here) | |
CAM-? | (Gonna get rained on I know what) | |
14.06:46 | CAM-3 | Yeah. |
CAM-1 | [Sound of landing gear warning horn?] | |
CAM-? | (There is no place like Santa Maria it looks nice) | |
CAM-? | Is it. | |
CAM-1 | (To have a beer) | |
14.06:57 | CAM-1 | We are level at two. |
CAM-2 | Yeah. | |
CAM-1 | -- To the left. | |
CAM-1 | (At eight DME) | |
CAM-? | () Cliffs. | |
CAM-? | Yeah. | |
14.07:34 | CAM-2 | Starting to pass throughout layers here. |
14.07:52 | CAM-1 | Can't keep this SOB thing straight up and down. |
14.07:57 | CAM-2 | () Help you. |
CAM-1 | No. | |
CAM-? | () | |
CAM-? | () | |
CAM-? | [Sound of radio altimeter] | |
14.08:05 | GPWS | Whoop whoop pull up Whoop whoop pull up Whoop whoop pull up Whoop whoop pull up |
14.08:12 | [Sound of impact] |