 N1809E, the aircraft involved in the accident, in February 1989. | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 7 June 1989 |
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain due to pilot error |
| Site | Near Johan Adolf Pengel Int'l Airport, Zanderij, Suriname 5°27′12″N 55°13′47″W / 5.45333°N 55.22972°W |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | McDonnell Douglas DC-8-62 |
| Aircraft name | Anthony Nesty |
| Operator | Surinam Airways |
| IATA flight No. | PY764 |
| ICAO flight No. | SLM764 |
| Call sign | SURINAM 764 |
| Registration | N1809E |
| Flight origin | Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Destination | Johan Adolf Pengel Int'l Airport Paramaribo, Suriname |
| Occupants | 187 |
| Passengers | 178 |
| Crew | 9 |
| Fatalities | 176 (initially 178) |
| Injuries | 11 (initially 9) |
| Survivors | 11 (initially 9) |
Surinam Airways Flight 764 was an international scheduled passenger flight from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in the Netherlands to Paramaribo-Zanderij International Airport in Suriname on a Surinam Airways DC-8-62. On Wednesday 7 June 1989, the flight crashed during approach to Paramaribo-Zanderij, killing 176 of the 187 on board. It is the deadliest aviation disaster in Suriname's history.
Investigation revealed significant deficiencies in the crew's training and judgement. They knowingly attempted to land using an inappropriate navigation signal and ignored alarms warning them of an impending crash. The safety issues stemming from the incident were of such concern that the United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued safety recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).