Ethiopian Airlines Flight 604

Ethiopian Airlines Flight 604 was a scheduled Addis Ababa–Bahir Dar–Asmara flight in which the aircraft caught fire during a belly landing at Bahir Dar Airport, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, on 15 September 1988.

Ethiopian Airlines Flight 604

An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737-200, similar to the one involved.
Accident
Date	15 September 1988
Summary	Belly landing after bird strike
Site	Bahir Dar Airport, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia 11°36′17″N 37°19′11″E
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Boeing 737-200
Operator	Ethiopian Airlines
Registration	ET-AJA
Flight origin	Bole International Airport
Last stopover	Bahir Dar Airport
Destination	Asmara International Airport
Passengers	98
Crew	6
Fatalities	31–35
Survivors	69–73

Aircraft

The aircraft involved in the accident was a Boeing 737-260, registration ET-AJA, delivered new to Ethiopian Airlines. At the time of the accident the aircraft was less than a year old.[1]

Accident description

On 15 September 1988,[2]^:51 the aircraft was scheduled to operate the second leg of a domestic Addis Ababa–Bahir Dar–Asmara passenger service with 98 passengers and 6 crew members on board.[1][3] Both engines of the aircraft ingested a flock of speckled pigeons as it took off from Bahir Dar Airport, and subsequently overheated.[1] One of the engines immediately lost thrust, while the other did so on the emergency return to the departure airport.[4] During a gear-up landing, the aircraft caught fire.[1]

There is some discrepancy over the death toll depending upon the source, as this number is claimed to be 35[1] or 31.[4][5][6] The discrepancy likely arose because four bodies could not be recovered.[6] All of the fatalities were among the passengers.[1]

See also

• Ethiopian Airlines accidents and incidents
• Ural Airlines Flight 178 – 2019 accident after both engines failed following a bird strike shortly after takeoff
• US Airways Flight 1549 – 2009 accident after both engines failed following a bird strike shortly after takeoff
• Scandinavian Airlines Flight 751 - 1991 accident after both engines failed following ice ingestion shortly after takeoff
• Eastern Air Lines Flight 375 – 1960 accident after the aircraft suffered a bird strike shortly after takeoff

References

1. Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network
2. • "1988: bad for scheduleds (page 49)". Flight International. 135 (4148): 49–54, 56–57. 21 January 1989. ISSN 0015-3710. Archived from the original on 10 August 2013.
   • "1988: bad for scheduleds (page 50)". Flight International. Archived from the original on 10 August 2013.
   • "1988: bad for scheduleds (page 51)". Flight International. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012.
   • "1988: bad for scheduleds (page 52)". Flight International. Archived from the original on 10 August 2013.
   • "1988: bad for scheduleds (page 53)". Flight International. Archived from the original on 10 August 2013.
   • "1988: bad for scheduleds (page 54)". Flight International. Archived from the original on 10 August 2013.
   • "1988: bad for scheduleds (page 56)". Flight International. Archived from the original on 10 August 2013.
   • "1988: bad for scheduleds (page 57)". Flight International. Archived from the original on 10 August 2013.
3. "At least 31 dead, 71 hurt in Ethiopian plane crash". Deseret News. 16 September 1988. Archived from the original on 10 August 2013.
4. "Ethiopian Airlines Plane Crashes Since 1970". AirSafe.com.
5. "Profile: Ethiopian Airlines". BBC News. 25 January 2010. Archived from the original on 27 August 2016.
6. "31 morts dans la chute d'un Boeing éthiopien" [31 death after an Ethiopian Boeing crashed]. Le Monde (in French). AFP, Reuters. 18 September 1988. Archived from the original on 27 August 2016.