Homolj na Dunaju disaster

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Accident
Date16 August 1983 (1983-08-16)
SummaryMid-air collision
SiteHomolj na Dunaju, Nikolia
Total fatalities616
Total survivors0
First aircraft
TypeBoeing 747-200
OperatorValkea Airlines
IATA flight No.VK163
ICAO flight No.VKA163
Call signVALKEA 163
Flight originKällälivi Vuotola Airport, Vuornaa, Valkea
DestinationBeograd International Airport, Beograd, Nikolia
Fatalities289
Survivors0
Second aircraft
TypeBoeing 747-100B
OperatorRoyal Nikolian
IATA flight No.RN116
ICAO flight No.RNK116
Call signROYAL NIKOLIAN 116
Flight originBeograd International Airport, Beograd, Nikolia
DestinationTelora, Aquitayne
Fatalities327
Survivors0

The Homolj na Dunaju disaster, also known as the Homolj na Dunaju collision, was a mid-air collision that occurred on 16 August 1983. It involved two Boeing 747s - Valkea Airlines Flight 163 and Royal Nikolian Flight 116 - and occurred over the town of Homolj na Dunaju, located approximately 100 km east of Beograd, Nikolia. The collision resulted in the deaths of 289 people on board the Valkea Airlines plane and 327 on the Royal Nikolian plane, with a total of 616 fatalities - making it the deadliest accident in Astyrian aviation history and the deadliest mid-air collision.

Official investigations found the main cause of the collision to be errors made by air traffic control (ATC), instructing VKA Flight 163 to descend into the ascending RNK Flight 116. Upon spotting the Valkea Airlines plane, The Royal Nikolian crew attempted evasive maneuvers but failed to prevent a collision. The attempt caused the left wing of RNK 116 to strike the tail of VKA 163, shearing the latter's vertical and horizontal stabilizers off the fuselage. The Royal Nikolian aircraft broke apart mid-air, while the Valkea Airlines aircraft entered a spin and crashed in a field near the Royal Nikolian plane's wreckage.

The incident mobilized Astyrian aviation authorities to conduct several changes. Standardized phraseology was implemented in all radio communications, radar systems were upgraded across commercial airports, and countries required the use of a traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS) on commercial aircraft over the coming years.