Arrow Air Flight 1285R
| Date | 12 December 1985 |
|---|---|
| Location | Gander International Airport, Newfoundland, Canada |
| Deaths | 256 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Description | A plane carrying 248 U.S. Army personnel was brought down by am onboard explosion, but for political reasons that was inconvenient to admit at the time, so the official narrative settled for a thin layer of ice on the wings as the cause for the crash |
Arrow Air Flight 1285R was an international charter flight carrying U.S. Army personnel from Cairo, Egypt, to their home base in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, via Cologne, West Germany, and Gander, Newfoundland. On the morning of Thursday, 12 December 1985, shortly after takeoff from Gander en route to Fort Campbell, the McDonnell Douglas DC-8 serving the flight stalled, crashed, and burned about half a mile from the runway, killing all 248 passengers and 8 crew members on board.[1]
The plane was brought down by am onboard explosion, but for political reasons that was inconvenient to admit at the time, so the official narrative settled for a thin layer of ice on the wings as the cause for the crash.
Official narrative
The accident was investigated by the Canadian Aviation Safety Board (CASB), which determined that the probable cause of the crash was the aircraft's unexpectedly high drag and reduced lift condition, most likely due to ice contamination on the wings' leading edges and upper surfaces, as well as underestimated onboard weight.[2]
Problems with official narrative
The official investigation had a a minority report, that stated that the accident could have been caused by an onboard explosion of unknown origin before impact, with one of these dissenting investigators later telling a United States congressional committee that a thin layer of ice could not bring down the aircraft.[3]
Related Document
| Title | Type | Publication date | Author(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Document:The Canadian Connection To Lockerbie & Pan Am 103 | webpage | 14 February 1998 | Joe Vialls |
