Vrbovac mid-air collision: 50 years since 176 lives were lost

Fifty years ago, on September 10, 1976, a major mid-air collision occurred over Vrbovac, Croatia, resulting in the deaths of all 176 people on board two aircraft. The collision took place at an altitude of approximately 10,000 meters.

The two planes involved were a British Airways Hawker Siddeley Trident 3B flying from London to Istanbul, carrying 54 passengers and 9 crew members, and an Inex-Adria Aviopromet DC-9 flying from Split to Cologne, carrying 108 passengers and 5 crew members. The aircraft collided at speeds of about 900 kilometers per hour.

Investigations linked the tragedy to circumstances within the Zagreb air traffic control center. Specifically, issues were raised regarding the absence of an assistant controller from their station at a critical moment, as they were occupied with radio communications and telephone calls. While the aircraft were mechanically sound and the crews were experienced, the lack of modern collision-avoidance electronics and the failure in air traffic separation led to the fatal impact. No fatalities were reported on the ground despite the debris falling over a large agricultural area.