Varig Flight 820
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Varig Flight 820 was a scheduled airline service from Galeão Airport serving Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Orly Airport serving Paris, France. On 11 July 1973, the Boeing 707 made an emergency landing in a field in the Orly commune due to smoke in the cabin. The fire, smoke, and crash at the final part of the landing resulted in 123 deaths, with 11 survivors (10 crew, 1 passenger).
Flight 820's problems began when a fire started in a rear lavatory. Crew members tried to contain the fire and smoke, but were unable to find the source of the problem. Prior to the forced landing, the great majority of passengers had already died of smoke inhalation.
The aircraft landed at a field 5km short of the runway, in a full-flap and gear down configuration.
Only one passenger survived, while the major part of the crew left the plane by the emergency exit at the top of the cockpit. The pilot of this flight disappeared years later while flying a Varig Cargo 707 over the Pacific Ocean.
As a possible cause of the fire was that the lavatory waste bin contents caught fire after a still lit cigarette was thrown into it, the FAA issued AD 74-08-09 requiring "installation of placards prohibiting smoking in the lavatory and disposal of cigarettes in the lavatory waste receptacles; establishment of a procedure to announce to airplane occupants that smoking is prohibited in the lavatories; installation of ashtrays at certain locations; and repetitive inspections to ensure that lavatory waste receptacle doors operate correctly".
