Lockheed L-1649 Starliner

Operator:

Six T Ranch

Registration:

N7324C

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Private

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

1030

YOM:

1957

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The Lockheed L-1649A Starliner cargo plane was damaged beyond repair when the aircraft hit trees after take off at night on a contraband flight from Zanderij Airport, Paramaribo, Surinam in late 1968 or early 1969. A leading edge was damaged and no.2 engine caught fire. It manage to return to the airport and was abandoned there.
The contraband consisted of cigarettes or other consumer goods in order to evade import taxes.

Crash of a Lockheed L-1649 Starliner in Las Vegas

Date & Time: Dec 9, 1968 at 1830 LT

Type of aircraft:

Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)

Operator:

Fly by Night Safaris

Registration:

N7314C

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Las Vegas-Harry Reid (McCarran)

MSN:

1016

YOM:

1957

Location:

Nevada

Country:

United States of America

Region:

North America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

19250

Captain / Total hours on type:

1700.00

Circumstances:

After liftoff at McCarran Airport, while in initial climb, the crew raised the landing gear when two engines suffered a simultaneous loss of power. The captain initiated an immediate landing and the airplane belly landed on the runway and slid for few dozen yards before coming to rest. All 104 occupants were evacuated safely while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Probable cause:

The accident was probably caused by the combination of the following factors:
- Aircraft improperly serviced by ground crew,
- Fuel contamination, improper fuel grade,
- Premature liftoff,
- Intentional wheels-up landing,
- Suspected mechanical discrepancy,
- Erroneously serviced with jet fuel,
- Aircraft airborne prior to V2 speed.

Final Report:

Crash of a Lockheed L-1649A Starliner in Stockton

Date & Time: Sep 28, 1968 at 1613 LT

Type of aircraft:

Willair International Airlines

Operator:

Registration:

N8081H

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Stockton - Stockton

MSN:

1026

YOM:

1958

Location:

Stockton

California

Country:

United States of America

Region:

North America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew was completing a local training flight at Stockton Airport, California. Following several uneventful circuits, the crew initiated a new approach. On final, the crew failed to realize his altitude was too low when the right main gear struck a blast pad located 102 feet short of the runway threshold and was torn off. The airplane partially belly landed and slid for dozen yards before coming to rest. While all 11 occupants escaped uninjured, the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Probable cause:

The student pilot misjudged the distance and altitude on final and the pilot-in-command failed to supervise the flight adequately.

Final Report:

Crash of a Lockheed L-1649A Starliner in Bogotá: 17 killed

Date & Time: Dec 18, 1966 at 0255 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

N7301C

Flight Phase:

Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Miami - Bogotá

MSN:

1002

YOM:

1957

Location:

Bogotá-El Dorado

Bogotá Capital District

Country:

Colombia

Region:

South America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

22000

Captain / Total hours on type:

600.00

Copilot / Total flying hours:

18000

Copilot / Total hours on type:

350

Aircraft flight hours:

11068

Circumstances:

The aircraft, which was on wet lease from Passaat Ltd., Miami, U.S.A., to Aerocondor de Colombia, was on a non-scheduled international flight from Miami International Airport, U.S.A., to Bogotá-El Dorado Airport, Colombia. The flight took off from Miami at 2040 hours local time on 17 December and proceeded normally. At 0240 hours local time, on 18 December, it reported over the Bogotá VOR at 12,000 feet and requested from the Air Route Traffic Control Centre authorization to change over to frequency 118.1 mcs and to contact El Dorado Control Tower. This was granted and communications were established with the Control Tower. The flight was given a QNH of 30.14 in. Hg. and was cleared for landing on Runway 12; however, it requested permission to land on Runway 30. It was then instructed to proceed directly to the inner marker for Runway 12, at 8,895 feet (elevation of the airport was 8,364 feet) and if visual to make a circling approach to Runway 30. There were fog patches on and in the vicinity of the aerodrome. The tower communications tape recording revealed that the flight reported proceeding inbound to Runway 12 and that it was instructed to continue its approach to Runway 12 as the fog appeared to be thinning out in that direction. Shortly thereafter the tower asked "how is visibility in the direction of 12" and the flight replied "It is a little better, I think we can make it in a second". At 0753 hours GMT the flight requested permission to land and the tower replied 'I... correct, cleared to land if you can do so, lights are at maximum intensity, let us know if it is necessary to reduce them'. The flight advised the lights were OK and reported on final approach. It was cleared to land and was advised again that the wind was calm and the QNH was 30.14 in. Hg. It acknowledged the message by "Thanks". Some 10 to 20 sec. later an explosion was heard and the control tower called the flight several times in vain. The fire crews were immediately alerted and directed to the threshold of Runway 12. They reported that the wreckage of the aircraft was some 10 to 20 m before the threshold of Runway 12. Four crew members and 13 passengers were killed while 42 other occupants were injured. The aircraft was destroyed.

Probable cause:

The accident was attributed to pilot error. The pilot-in-command misjudged the distance between the aeroplane and the ground and undershot the landing area. He also exercised poor judgement in taking the decision to land in variable weather conditions which perhaps precluded proper visibility of the VASI lights and identification of the exact location of the threshold of Runway 12, and in failing to follow the missed approach procedure specified on the Eldorado International Airport chart. The following findings were reported:
- The crew of the aircraft held valid licences with appropriate type rating at the time of the accident; however, the pilot-in-command held a "second class" medical certificate which, according to the U.S. FAA regulations did not entitle him to act as pilot-in-command of an airline commercial transport aircraft carrying passengers,
- The copilot and flight engineer held valid medical certificates,
- The aircraft had a valid Certificate of Airworthiness in accordance with the FAA regulations and had been inspected on 2 September 1966. Maintenance was carried out at an FLU approved base,
- There were variable fog patches at Eldorado Airport at the time of the final approach to land; however, the pilot considered that the weather conditions were satisfactory,
- The landing weight of the aircraft at Eldorado Airport was 5 800 lb above the limit specified by the manufacturer,
- The investigations carried out at the scene of the accident indicated that the aircraft, its controls and the powerplants were operating properly. Furthermore, no technical deficiencies had been reported by the crew,
- It was concluded that the accident was due to an error of the pilot who misjudged the distance between the aircraft and the ground, and who exercised poor judgement in taking the decision to land in variable weather conditions which possibly reduced the visibility of the VASI lights and precluded proper identification of the threshold of the runway,
- The recording of the communications between the aircraft and the control tower revealed the presence of a fourth person in the cockpit during the final approach. All communications from the aircraft were made in Spanish. The official report of the FAA's operations inspector stated that the pilot-in-command spoke a little Spanish but not fluently. It was concluded that the Manager of Aerocondor was the person in direct contact with the control tower and that his presence in the cockpit may have disturbed the execution of the landing operation by the pilot-in-command and caused him to exceed his abilities.

Final Report:

Crash of a Lockheed L-1649 Starliner in Deer Valley

Date & Time: Sep 3, 1964

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

LV-GLI

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Test

Site:

MSN:

1008

YOM:

1957

Location:

Deer Valley

Arizona

Country:

United States of America

Region:

North America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The aircraft was deliberately crashed on takeoff at Deer Valley Airport for a FAA experimental program. During the takeoff roll, the aircraft hit several obstacles and eventually crashed onto a hill, broken in three. Both wings and all four engine were sheared off at impact.
Special thanks to Chris Baird - www.arizonawrecks.com

Crash of a Lockheed L-1649A Starliner in Rio de Janeiro

Date & Time: Jun 19, 1961

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

LV-GLH

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont

Schedule:

Buenos Aires – Rio de Janeiro – Natal – Dakar – Lisbon – Geneva – London

MSN:

1006

YOM:

1957

Location:

Rio de Janeiro

Country:

Brazil

Region:

South America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

On approach to Santos Dumont Airport in Rio, the four engine aircraft was too low and struck a seawall located short of runway threshold. On impact, the undercarriage were sheared off and the airplane crash landed and came to rest after a course of one km. All occupants were evacuated safely while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Probable cause:

Wrong approach configuration on part of the pilot-in-command who continued the descent at an unsafe altitude (below the glide) and misjudged the distance with the ground.

Crash of a Lockheed L-1649 Starliner near Ghadames: 78 killed

Date & Time: May 10, 1961 at 0112 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

F-BHBM

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Desert

Schedule:

Brazzaville – Bangui – Fort Lamy – Marseille – Paris

MSN:

1027

YOM:

1957

Flight number:

AF406

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

While cruising by night at an altitude of 20,000 feet vertical to the Sahara Desert, the airplane disintegrated in the air and crashed in a desert area located in the east part of Algeria, at the border with Libya. The crew was unable to send any distress call. The debris were scattered on a wide area between Ghadamès (Libya) and Zarzaïtine, Algeria. All 78 occupants were killed in the crash.
Crew:
Mr. Bouchier, pilot,
Mr. Best, copilot,
Mr. Baylion, navigator,
Mr. Guntz, radio operator,
Mr. Gambart de Lignières, mechanic,
Mr. Burgaut, mechanic,
Mrs. Chiapolino, stewardess,
Mr. Eichelberger, steward,
Mr. Pasqueron, steward.

Probable cause:

It is believed that the probable cause of the accident was an act of sabotage with the denotation of a nitrocellulose explosive device. The reasons and the authors of this act remains unknown.

Crash of a Lockheed L-1649 Starliner near Milan: 68 killed

Date & Time: Jun 26, 1959 at 1735 LT

Type of aircraft: