Homolj na Dunaju disaster
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| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 16 August 1983 |
| Summary | Mid-air collision |
| Site | Homolj na Dunaju, Nikolia |
| Total fatalities | 616 |
| Total survivors | 0 |
| First aircraft | |
| Type | Boeing 747-200 |
| Operator | Valkea Airlines |
| IATA flight No. | VK163 |
| ICAO flight No. | VKA163 |
| Call sign | VALKEA 163 |
| Registration | VK-MTSF |
| Flight origin | Källälivi Vuotola Airport, Vuornaa, Valkea |
| Destination | Beograd International Airport, Beograd, Nikolia |
| Fatalities | 289 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Second aircraft | |
| Type | Boeing 747-100B |
| Operator | Royal Nikolian |
| IATA flight No. | RN116 |
| ICAO flight No. | RNK116 |
| Call sign | ROYAL NIKOLIAN 116 |
| Registration | NK-ABJK |
| Flight origin | Beograd International Airport, Beograd, Nikolia |
| Destination | Telora International Airport, Telora, Aquitayne |
| Fatalities | 327 |
| Survivors | 0 |
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.
Background
Valkea Airlines Flight 163 was a Boeing 747-200, registration VK-MTSF, en route from Källälivi Vuotola Airport to Beograd International Airport, with 273 passengers and 16 crew. Royal Nikolian Flight 116 was a Boeing 747-100B, registration NK-ABJK, that took off at 14:32 local time from Beograd International Airport en route to Telora International Airport, with 309 passengers and 18 crew. Both aircraft were supposed to pass each other at 1000 ft apart.