TACV Flight 5002

TACV Flight 5002 was a flight operated by TACV that crashed on 7 August 1999. Due to technical difficulties, the aircraft normally serving the route from São Pedro Airport on the island of São Vicente, Cape Verde to Agostinho Neto Airport on the island of Santo Antão, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, was replaced with a Cape Verde Coast Guard Dornier 228 (registration D4-CBC).

TACV Flight 5002/Cape Verde Coast Guard

A Dornier 228 similar to the aircraft involved
Accident
Date	7 August 1999
Summary	Controlled flight into terrain aggravated by inclement weather
Site	Santo Antão Island, Cape Verde
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Dornier 228
Operator	TACV
Registration	D4-CBC
Flight origin	Cesária Évora Airport
Destination	Agostinho Neto Airport
Passengers	16
Crew	2
Fatalities	18
Injuries	0
Survivors	0

The aircraft took off from São Pedro at 11:42 for the short flight to Agostinho Neto. Thirteen minutes after takeoff, rain and fog covered Santo Antão and placed the arrival airport below VFR minimums. The pilots made the decision to return to São Vicente at 11:56. The aircraft overflew the island of Santo Antão at 12:02, but crashed into the wooded mountainside at an altitude of 1,370 metres (4,490 ft). The aircraft burst into flames, killing all 18 passengers and crew on board. The crash remains as the deadliest aviation accident to take place in Cape Verde.