PORT LOUIS — 1987 · Major Tragedy
The Crash of SAA Flight 295 'Helderberg'
On 28 November 1987 a fire broke out in the main-deck cargo area of the South African Airways Boeing 747 Combi 'Helderberg', flying from Taipei to Johannesburg via Mauritius. Shortly after the crew reported smoke, the aircraft crashed into the ocean about 250 km north-east of Mauritius, killing all 140 passengers and 19 crew. The cockpit voice recorder was recovered from a depth of about 4,900 metres. The Margo Commission named inadequate fire detection and suppression in the cargo area as the main cause; the source of the fire was never determined. Allegations of illicit cargo persisted but were never proven.
- Date
- 1987
- Place
- Indian Ocean off Mauritius, Port Louis, MU
- Category
- Major Tragedy
- Case Status
- Closed
- Coordinates
- -19.3000, 59.6000 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 28 November 1987Helderberg crashed into the sea off Mauritius.
- 1988The cockpit voice recorder was recovered from deep water.
- 1990The Margo Commission published its report.
- 1993The US FAA tightened cargo fire rules.
Sources
- Wikipedia — South African Airways Flight 295 en.wikipedia.org ↗
- FAA — Lessons Learned: Boeing 747-244B Combi ZS-SAS faa.gov ↗
- Aviation Safety Network — ZS-SAS aviation-safety.net ↗
- Wikipedia
- FAA Lessons Learned
- Aviation Safety Network
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.