Southern Airways Flight 242
The overhead view of the debris field of Southern Airways Flight 242 | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | April 4, 1977 |
| Summary | Dual engine failure in severe weather, pilot error |
| Site | New Hope, Paulding County, Georgia, United States 33°57′45″N 84°47′13″W / 33.96250°N 84.78694°W |
| Total fatalities | 72 |
| Aircraft | |
| N1335U, the aircraft involved in the accident | |
| Aircraft type | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 |
| Operator | Southern Airways |
| IATA flight No. | SO242 |
| ICAO flight No. | SOU242 |
| Call sign | SOUTHERN 242 |
| Registration | N1335U |
| Flight origin | Northwest Alabama Regional Airport, Muscle Shoals |
| Stopover | Huntsville-Madison County Jetport |
| Destination | Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport |
| Occupants | 85 |
| Passengers | 81 |
| Crew | 4 |
| Fatalities | 63 |
| Injuries | 22 |
| Survivors | 22 |
| Ground casualties | |
| Ground fatalities | 9 |
Southern Airways Flight 242 was a flight from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to Atlanta, Georgia, with a stop in Huntsville, Alabama. On April 4, 1977, it executed a forced landing on Georgia State Route 381 in New Hope, Paulding County, Georgia, United States, after suffering hail damage and losing thrust on both engines in a severe thunderstorm.: 1
At the time of the accident, the Southern Airways aircraft was flying from Huntsville-Madison County Jetport to Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport.: 2 Sixty-three people on the aircraft (including both pilots) and nine people on the ground died; twenty passengers survived, as well as two flight attendants.