Featured Map for 20 January 2017:
Air Inter 148 Near Mont Sainte-Odile 25 Years Ago

While many people are focused on today's events in Washington, those with a passion for aviation may be more captivated by events that happened 25 years ago today. On a routine flight from Lyon Satolas Airport (now known as Lyon St-Exupéry Airport) to Strasbourg, Aer Inter flight 148 crashed in he Vosges Mountains near Mont Sainte-Odile. It was the third fatal crash of the Airbus A320, killing 87 of the 96 souls aboard (5 of 6 crew and 82 of 90 passengers).

Exactly two years later, the first A340 loss occurred at Paris. Fortunately, there were no fatalities as the aircraft had just completed maintenance and nobody was aboard. The accident began when an elctrically powered pump powering the yellow hydraulic system overheated and trigged a fire which destroyed the aircraft. Remarkably, and happily, although the A340 has suffered five hull losses none have resulted in fatalities.

Today's Featured Map depicts the path of Aer Inter flight 148 and also marks where A340 F-GNIA was lost.

References and additional information:

• RAPPORT de la commission d'enquête sur l'accident survenu le 20 janvier 1992 près du Mont Sainte-Odile (Bas Rhin) à l'Airbus A 320 immatriculé F-GGED exploité par la compagnie Air Inter – Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses (BEA)
  • Official Report into the accident on 20 January 1992 near Mont Sainte-Odile (Bas-Rhin) of the AIRBUS A320 registered F-GGED operated by Air Inter (26 November 1993)
• F-GGED Aer Inter Airbus A320-111 - cn 015 – Planespotters.net
• ASN Aircraft accident Airbus A320-111 F-GGED Strasbourg-Entzheim Airport (SXB) – Aviation Safety Network
  
  
• F-GNIA Air France Airbus A340-211 - cn 010 – Planespotters.net
• ASN Aircraft accident Airbus A340-211 F-GNIA Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) – Aviation Safety Network