Southern Airways Flight 242
1977 aviation accident / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Southern Airways Flight 242 was a flight from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to Atlanta, Georgia, with a stop in Huntsville, Alabama. On April 4, 1977, it executed a forced landing on Georgia State Route 381 in New Hope, Paulding County, Georgia, United States, after suffering hail damage and losing thrust on both engines in a severe thunderstorm.[1]: 1 [4]
Accident | |
---|---|
Date | April 4, 1977 (1977-04-04) |
Summary | Dual engine failure in severe weather, pilot error |
Site | New Hope, Paulding County, Georgia, United States 33°57′45″N 84°47′13″W |
Total fatalities | 72[lower-alpha 1] |
Aircraft | |
Aircraft type | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 |
Operator | Southern Airways |
IATA flight No. | SO242 |
ICAO flight No. | SOU242 |
Call sign | SOUTHERN 242 |
Registration | N1335U[2] |
Flight origin | Northwest Alabama Regional Airport, Muscle Shoals[3] |
Stopover | Huntsville-Madison County Jetport |
Destination | Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport |
Occupants | 85 |
Passengers | 81 |
Crew | 4 |
Fatalities | 63 |
Injuries | 22 (21 serious, 1 minor) |
Survivors | 22 |
Ground casualties | |
Ground fatalities | 9 |
Ground injuries | 0 |
At the time of the accident, the Southern Airways aircraft was flying from Huntsville-Madison County Jetport to Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport.[1]: 2 Sixty-three people on the aircraft (including both pilots) and nine people on the ground died; twenty passengers survived, as well as two flight attendants.