5X-UVA, the Vickers VC-10 involved in the accident, seen here at London Heathrow Airport
Accident
Date
18 April 1972
Summary
Impacted foreign object during take-off, improper braking assembly led to braking failure during aborted take-off
Site
Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, Bole Medhanealem, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Aircraft
Aircraft type
Vickers Super VC10-1154
Operator
East African Airways
Registration
5X-UVA
Flight origin
Embakasi International Airport, Nairobi, Kenya
1st stopover
Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Last stopover
Rome-Fiumicino Airport, Rome, Italy
Destination
Heathrow Airport, London, United Kingdom
Passengers
96
Crew
11
Fatalities
43
Injuries
15
Survivors
64
East African Airways Flight 720 (EC720) was an international scheduled passenger flight, operated by jointly operated East African Airways, routing from Kenya via Ethiopia and Italy to the United Kingdom with a Vickers VC10. On 18 April 1972, the aircraft burst into flames and crashed while taking off from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, killing 43 out of 107 occupants on board. It is the third deadliest aircraft accident on Ethiopian soil.[1]
The investigation, led by the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Administration, concluded that the crash was caused by partial loss of braking effort due to incorrect re-assembly of the braking system, leading to the aircraft's inability to stop within the remaining runway distance. The aircraft struck a foreign object during take-off, causing it to vibrate violently. Crew members properly executed the necessary procedure to abort the take-off, however the braking failure caused the aircraft to overrun the runway.
^"ASN Aircraft accident Vickers Super VC10-1154 5X-UVA Addis Ababa". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
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