Silent Witness Memorial/ Arrow Air Flight 1285 Crash Site

Canada / Newfoundland and Labrador / Gander /
 memorial, crash site, aircraft crash site
Site of one of the worst peacetime accidents in U.S. military history.

Arrow Air Flight 1285 was a McDonnell Douglas DC-8-63CF jetliner, registered N950JW, which operated as an international charter flight carrying U.S. troops from Cairo to their home base in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, via Cologne, Germany and Gander, Newfoundland. O

On the morning of December 12, 1985, shortly after takeoff from Gander en route to Fort Campbell, the aircraft stalled, crashed and burned about half a mile from the runway, killing all 256 passengers and crew on board.

The accident was investigated by the Canadian Aviation Safety Board (CASB) which determined the probable cause of the crash was the aircraft's unexpectedly high drag and reduced lift condition, which most likely was due to ice contamination on the wings' leading edges and upper surfaces. A minority report stated that the accident could have been caused by an on board explosion of unknown origin prior to impact.

www.cdli.ca/monuments/nf/gander2.htm
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrow_Air_Flight_1285
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   48°54'42"N   54°34'28"W

Comments

  • There is an excellent book by Newfoundland writer Gary Collins called - Where Eagles Lie Fallen: The Crash of Arrow Air Flight 1285, Gander, Newfoundland about this tragedy. I write this not as an advertisement but because these heroes must be remembered for their sacrifice.
This article was last modified 12 years ago