Avianca Flight 671 Accident (HK-177)

Flight Details and Initial Malfunction Avianca Flight 671, operated by a Lockheed Super Constellation, departed New York-Idlewild bound for Bogotá with planned stops at Montego Bay and Barranquilla. During the leg to Montego Bay, the number 3 engine malfunctioned and was shut down. The flight diverted to Miami, arriving at 16:57. A replacement propeller governor was installed, but pre-flight checks revealed a defect in the number 2 engine, which was repaired. The aircraft departed Miami at 00:12 with the copilot serving as the pilot flying. ## Approach and Crash Near Montego Bay, the crew received clearance for a standard instrument approach. The airfield was sighted after a procedure turn at 2,000 feet, and the approach continued visually. The aircraft made a heavy touchdown, bounced, and landed back on the runway. It then skidded down the runway in flames, coming to rest inverted 1,900 feet from the threshold and 200 feet to the left. Five crew members and four passengers survived, while 37 other occupants were killed. The aircraft was destroyed by fire. ## Official Findings The probable cause was a final approach path that resulted in a heavy landing, leading to a major structural failure in the port wing near Station 80 joint. This failure was caused by stresses transmitted through the undercarriage exceeding the designed maximum rate of sink of 10 feet per second. The investigation noted that while the captain holds primary responsibility for safety, mitigating circumstances included deficiencies in pilot training and proficiency checking for HK-177. Consequently, some responsibility was attributed to the supervisory and advisory authorities for the overall conduct of the operation.