Air Astoria (1987-2020)

Air Astoria was an airline headquartered in Brussels, Astoria. The airline was previously the flag carrier of Astoria, however, following a series of accidents, and a decrease in the airlines safety standard, this role was revoked.

The airline previously operated Regional, Domestic and International flights across both within Astoria, and the rest of the world.

## Accidents and Incidents

On **January 18th 1962**, an Air Astoria Boeing 707, operating flight 579 from Olympia to Brussels crashed on approach to Runway 07R, killing 74 passengers and crew, with the exception of a single flight attendant, Irene Montparsse. The crash was attributed to faulty instruments and low visibility relating to thick fog surrounding the airport. The aircraft collided with trees and crashed just short of the runway. Miss Montparsse survived purely with luck. A few other passengers in the rear survived the crash, but they quickly succumbed to their injuries.

On **July 25th 1975**, an Air Astoria Boeing 747-100 operating flight 1075 from New York to Brussels, made an emergency landing at the airport, due to a serious cabin fire. There were 350 passengers and crew. The vast majority escaped with minor injuries, however 25 people seated in the back of the plane died of smoke inhalation. This included 22 passengers and three cabin crew members. A twenty-five year old woman also sustained serious injury after going over the edge of the slide during the evacuation. The aircraft was rendered unrepairable and was scrapped on site. The incident caused the airport to be closed for three days, with flights diverted to Charleroi.

**21st July 1992 - Air Astoria 1583:** Air Astoria flight 1583, operated by a Boeing 767-200 aircraft from Brussels to Aeturnum, suffered an explosive decompression and broke up while flying over Carcassonne. A crack in the rear bulkhead resulted in the aircraft breaking up, with debris landing across the city. There were no survivors of the accident. The aircraft had received maintenance in the previous day, and two engineers were sentenced to life imprisonment on manslaughter charges as they failed to notice the crack in the bulkhead during an exam.

**17th December 1995 - Air Astoria 1603:** Air Astoria flight 1603, operated by a Boeing 747-200 aircraft from Brussels to London-Heathrow, ditched into the Columbus Ocean near the cost of Lemauni. There were 260 passengers and crew onboard the aircraft, with 16 fatalities being those in the rear of the aircraft who could not leave due to the aircraft snapping. These included stewardess Celine DuBois, who swam back into the rear section in an attempt to save stuck passengers. The remaining 244 passengers and crew survived, and were rescued by the Lemauni Coastguard within two hours. Several victims required hospital treatment as the conditions outside were below freezing. The cause of the ditching was a triple engine failure.

**28th January 1999 - Air Astoria 0603 & Meridiana 882:** Air Astoria flight 0603, operated by a Boeing 747-200 aircraft from Brussels to Los Angeles, and Meridiana flight 882 from Naples to Rimini, operated by a Boeing 737-800 collided near Palermo, The Three Kingdoms. Data taken from the Air Astoria aircraft showed that they requested a further climb from 36,000 feet (FL360) to 39,000 feet (FL390), but were denied by Latin controllers due to the Boeing 737-800 approaching at 37,000 (FL370). The Captains of Flight 0603 ignored the instructions and climbed anyway, subsequently colliding with the Meridiana flight as their paths crossed. There were no survivors on either flight.

**19th May 2003 - Air Astoria 1977:** Air Astoria flight 1977, operated by a Boeing 737-800 operating from Ibiza to Lisbon, diverted to Alicante after a fire broke out in the hydraulic system. The aircraft made an emergency landing with zero fatalities, however the loss of hydraulics resulted in the fuel tanks rupturing and catching fire after the aircraft came to a stop. The flight had 165 people onboard, with 25 injuries sustained during the rushed evacuation.

**27th August 2007** **- Air Astoria 583 & Virgin Astoria 6812:** On August 27th 2007, Air Astoria flight 583 from Barcelona to Los Angeles, operated by a Boeing 747-400 collided with Virgin Astoria flight 682, a Boeing 777-300ER which had just landed from Philadelphia. An Air Traffic Control error resulted in the Air Astoria flight being cleared for take off as Virgin Astoria 682 was crossing the runway, after permission had been granted by ATC. The Air Astoria 747 clipped the tail of the Virgin 777, resulting in damage to the aircraft. The Virgin Astoria flight was able to taxi to a remote stand and disembark passengers, while the Air Astoria 747 dumped fuel and returned to Barcelona about 60 minutes after take off. While there was no visible damage to the Boeing 747, the decision was made to divert citing possible structural damage.