1977 — April 4, Thunder/hailstorm, Southern Air #242 Crash (9 on ground), Hope, GA– 72

–72 Aircraft Crashes Record Office (Geneva, Switzerland). Georgia.
–72 Gero. Aviation Disasters: The World’s Major Civil Airliner Crashes Since 1950. P.145.
–63 of 85 on-board.
— 9 on the ground.
–72 NTSB. Aircraft Accident Report, Southern Airways, Inc….New Hope, GA, April 4, 1977.
–70 NationMaster.com. Encyclopedia, List of Notable Accidents and Incidents Com. Aircraft.
–70 Planecrashinfo.com. “1977. Accident Details. Southern Air…New Hope, GA…April 4.”

Narrative Information

NTSB: “Synopsis. About 1619 e.s.t. on April 4, 1977, a Southern Airways, Inc., DC-9, operating as Southern Flight 242, crashed in New Hope, Georgia. After losing both engines in flight, Flight 242 attempted an emergency landing on State Spur Highway 92, which bisected New Hope. Of the 85 persons aboard Flight 242, 62 were killed, 22 were seriously injured, and 1 was slightly injured. One passenger died on June 5, 1977. Additionally, eight persons on the ground were killed and one person was seriously injured; the injured person died about 1 month after the accident. The aircraft was destroyed.

“Flight 242 entered a severe thunderstorm during flight between 17,000 feet and 14,000 feet near Rome, Georgia, while en route from Huntsville, Alabama, to Atlanta, Georgia. Both engines were damaged and all thrust was lost. The engines could not be restarted, and the flightcrew was forced to make an emergency landing.

“The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the total and unique loss of thrust from both engines while the aircraft was penetrating an area of severe thunderstorms. The loss of thrust was caused by the ingestion of massive amounts of water and hail which in combination with thrust lever movement induced severe stalling in and major damage to the engine compressors.

“Major contributing factors included the failure of the company’s dispatching system to provide the flightcrew with up-to-date severe weather information pertaining to the aircraft’s intended route of flight, the captain’s reliance on airborne weather radar for penetration of thunder-storm areas, and limitations in the Federal Aviation Administration’s air traffic control system which precluded the timely dissemination of real-time hazardous weather to the flightcrew.” (NTSB, 1)

“….Other Damage…A combination grocery store-gasoline station was destroyed by fire. A truck and five automobiles were destroyed, and an automobile and a house were substantially damaged….” (NTSB, p. 8)

Planecrashinf.com: “The aircraft sustained a broken windshield and loss of power to both engines after penetrating a thunderstorm and encountering hail. The plane crash landed on a highway and exploded in flames. Total and unique loss of thrust from both engines while the aircraft was penetrating an area of severe thunderstorms with heavy precipitation and hail. Contributing factor was the failure of the company’s dispatcher to provide the flight crew with up-to-date severe weather information.” (Planecrashinfo.com.)

Sources
Aircraft Crashes Record Office (Geneva, Switzerland). Georgia. Accessed 3/8/2009 at: http://www.baaa-acro.com/Pays/Etats-Unis/Georgie.htm

Gero, David. Aviation Disasters: The World’s Major Civil Airliner Crashes Since 1950 (Second Edition). London: Patrick Stephens Limited, 1996.

National Transportation Safety Board. Aircraft Accident Report, Southern Airways, Inc. DC-9-31m N1335U, New Hope, Georgia, April 4, 1977. Washington, DC: NTSB, adopted 1-26-1978. At: http://web.archive.org/web/20061116025018/http://amelia.db.erau.edu/reports/ntsb/aar/AAR78-03.pdf

NationMaster.com. Encyclopedia. “List of Notable Accidents and Incidents on Commercial Aircraft.” Accessed 12-15-2008 at: http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/List-of-notable-accidents-and-incidents-on-commercial-aircraft

Planecrashinfo.com. “1977. Accident Details. Southern Air…New Hope, GA…April 4.” Accessed at: http://www.planecrashinfo.com/1977/1977-18.htm