Douglas DC-8 crash, Sep 18, 1984 (53 killed), Quito-Maris...
Douglas DC-8 accident on September 18, 1984 near Quito-Mariscal Sucre (City), Pichincha, Ecuador with 53 fatalities. Cause: Crew error: pre-takeoff...
- Date: September 18, 1984
- Aircraft: Douglas DC-8
- Location: Quito-Mariscal Sucre (City), Pichincha, Ecuador
- Fatalities: 53
- Phase of flight: Takeoff and climb
- Cause: Crew error: pre-takeoff checks were not properly carried out, so the horizontal stabilizer stayed at 0.5 degrees nose up instead of the 8 degrees needed for takeoff.
A Douglas DC-8-55F cargo jet of Aeroservicios Ecuatorianos (AECA) failed to become airborne on its takeoff run from Quito Mariscal Sucre Airport on 18 September 1984. It struck an ILS antenna at the end of the runway and then several houses, killing 53 people in total including the 4 crew.