Leland’s Fatal Ethiopia Crash Laid to Weather, Pilot Error
Bad weather and improper flight preparation contributed to the plane crash that killed Rep. Mickey Leland (D-Tex.) and 15 others last year in Ethiopia, a report issued Friday said.
The Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority said the pilots erred by “pushing too far and flying into an area of bad weather at a very low altitude.”
Leland, who was chairman of the House Select Committee on Hunger, was flying from the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa to Fugnido, a refugee camp on the Sudanese border, to inspect relief efforts. Three congressional staffers also died in the crash.
The plane ran into a mountainside more than an hour after takeoff on Aug. 7, 1989. A tight flight schedule and the importance of the mission may have pressured the crew to fly in bad weather, the report said.
The plane, a 1980 Twin Otter, had no defects and crew members reported no problems during the flight, the report said.
The Ethiopian agency’s report was released by the National Transportation Safety Board.
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