AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT REPORT. LOFTLEIDIR ICELANDIC AIRLINES, INC. DOUGLAS DC-8-61, JOHN F. KENNEDY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT JAMAICA, NEW YORK, JUNE 23, 1973

On June 23, 1973, Loftleidir Icelandic Airlines, Inc., Flight 509, a scheduled passenger and cargo flight, was involved in a landing accident after an instrument landing approach to runway 31R at the John F. Kennedy International Airport, Jamaica, New York. Of the 119 passengers and nine crewmembers aboard the flight, six passengers and two stewardesses were injured seriously; there were no fatalities. The aircraft was damaged substantially. When the aircraft was about 40 feet above the runway, the ground spoilers were inadvertently deployed. The aircraft descended rapidly and hit the ground, tail-first, 20 feet short of the displaced runway threshold. The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of the accident was the first officer's inadvertent deployment of the ground spoilers in flight while he was attempting to arm the spoiler system.

• Corporate Authors:

  National Transportation Safety Board

  Office of Aviation Safety
  Washington, DC  United States  20594
• Publication Date: 1973-12-5

Media Info

• Pagination: 34 p.

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00056918
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: NTSB-AAR-73-20
• Files: NTIS
• Created Date: Jul 22 1974 12:00AM