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Crash of a Douglas DC-3A-197D in La Paz: 5 killed

Date & Time: Jun 12, 1967
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
XA-FUW
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Schedule:
La Paz - Mazatlán
MSN:
3260
YOM:
1940
Country:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
24
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff from La Paz-Manuel Márquez de León Airport, while climbing, one of the engine failed. The pilot-in-command lost control of the airplane that stalled and crashed in a residential area. Three crew members and two people on the ground were killed while 25 other occupants were injured.
Probable cause:
Engine failure after takeoff.

Crash of a Douglas DC-8-51 in Mexico City

Date & Time: Dec 24, 1966 at 0430 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
XA-NUS
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
New York - Mexico City
MSN:
45633
YOM:
1962
Country:
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
101
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The approach to Mexico City-Benito Juárez Airport was completed by night. In poor visibility, the pilot-in-command failed to realize his altitude was too low and led the aircraft pass below the glide until it struck the ground. At impact, the undercarriage were torn off and the airplane broke in two before coming to rest in the Texcoco dry lake. All 109 occupants were rescued, 28 of them were injured. The aircraft was destroyed.
Probable cause:
Wrong approach configuration.

Crash of a Douglas DC-8-51 in Acapulco: 6 killed

Date & Time: Aug 13, 1966 at 0215 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
XA-PEI
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Acapulco - Acapulco
MSN:
45652
YOM:
1962
Country:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Captain / Total flying hours:
15712
Captain / Total hours on type:
1256.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
13630
Copilot / Total hours on type:
7
Aircraft flight hours:
10030
Circumstances:
After an uneventful scheduled flight from New York, U.S.A. to Acapulco, Mexico, with an intermediate stop at Mexico City, the aircraft arrived at Acapulco International Airport at 0012 hours local time. It was then serviced and refuelled and took off from runway 10 at approximately 0114 hours on a local crew training flight. At about 0150 hours the aircraft reported over the station at 16 000 ft and requested clearance from the tower to carry out a simulated descent. Clearance was granted and the aircraft was instructed to report at 6 000 ft overhead which it did and was seen by the tower controller who then requested it to report on procedure turn. The aircraft reported on procedure turn at 2 500 ft and this was the last message received. At approximately 0215 hours explosions were heard and a fire was reported southeast of the airport. The wreckage was found on the slope of Mt El Salado, about 33 km from Acapulco Airport. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all six crew members were killed.
Probable cause:
Careless and untimely descent in the course of a procedure turn which wan continued below established minimum altitude. The following findings were reported:
- Weather was not a factor in this accident,
- The aircraft was carrying out a simulated descent approach procedure and the desCe2t from 2 500 ft was initiated in the middle of the procedure turn, whereas according to the standard procedure it should have been initiated on completion of the procedure turn when the aircraft was aligned with the runway. The aircraft's descent was continued below the minimum altitude limit until the aircraft struck the ground in a nearly level attitude, slightly banked to the right, with the undercarriage extended and 50° of flaps (instead of the normal 35°),
- No evidence of a malfunction or failure of the aircraft, its engines or equipment, or of a loss of control of the aircraft was found,
- Evidence of complacency in the supervision of the flight was found.
Final Report:

Crash of a Bristol 175 Britannia 302 in Tijuana

Date & Time: Jul 9, 1965
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
XA-MEC
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Mexico City – Tijuana
MSN:
12918
YOM:
1957
Country:
Crew on board:
9
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
73
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Following an uneventful flight from Mexico City, the crew started the descent to Tijuana-Rodriguez Airport when he encountered technical difficulties with one main gear that was not locked down. The captain decided to follow a holding pattern over Tijuana but few minutes later, he was forced to land due to fuel shortage. Upon touchdown, one of the main gear collapsed. The airplane slid for several dozen yards before coming to rest. While all 82 occupants were evacuated safely, the aircraft was considered as damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
Failure of a landing gear that was not locked down on landing.

Crash of a Douglas DC-8-21 in New York: 4 killed

Date & Time: Jan 19, 1961 at 2017 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
XA-XAX
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
New York – Mexico City
MSN:
45432
YOM:
1960
Flight number:
AM401
Crew on board:
9
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
97
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Captain / Total flying hours:
15210
Captain / Total hours on type:
46.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
8260
Copilot / Total hours on type:
125
Aircraft flight hours:
529
Circumstances:
The first approximate 6,200 feet of takeoff roll was observed by control tower personnel, visually, until the aircraft was lost to view by obscuring snow, approximately 3,800 feet from the control tower. They stated that at that time the aircraft had not taken off or rotated. Another tower controller observed the aircraft by airport surface-detection *** radar from the start of its roll to the eastern end of runway 7R, where it disappeared from view. A few seconds later he observed a bright orange flash on the sky northeast of the airport. He could not tell if the aircraft left the runway. Emergency procedures were started immediately by the controllers and an unsuccessful attempt was made to contact the flight on the departure radio frequency. Captain Poe was the only survivor of the four cockpit occupants. He stated as follows: The checklist was accomplished normally. The runway condition was good and everything apparently occurred in a routine manner through the 100-knot time check when the first officer called out "***" (Spanish for 100). Upon reaching approximately 130 knots (the V1 speed) the first officer called out V1 and VR rapid succession. The aircraft was then rotated quickly and somewhat excessively. Poe did not see the airspeed go over 130 knots and as rotation started he saw the airspeed start to drop back quite rapidly to about 110 knots. At this time the Aeronaves captain called or pointed to the airspeed indicator. Poe felt that the aircraft could not become airborne under these conditions and that the runway remaining was not long enough to put the nose back down to start the takeoff again from that speed. His only choice, so he stated, was to try to get the aircraft stopped on the runway. Poe unfastened his safety belt, stood to gauge progress down the runway, moved forward, shoved the throttles forward briefly, noted a normal and uniform response from the engine instruments (the EPR gauges were reading normally from 2.52 to 2.54), and then pulled the throttles full back. Captain Gonzales "immediately" pulled the reverse throttles back into reverse thrust and used wheel brakes. Poe extended the spoilers and then sat down on the jump seat without refastening his seat belt. He believes that the aircraft did not take off Whether it did or not wall be discussed later in this report. Poe's actions would have taken about three seconds, an shown by later test. The aircraft continued ahead the full length of the 10,000-foot runway, beyond it, through a blast fence, 3 catching on fire, through the airport boundary fence, and across Rockaway Boulevard where it struck an automobile injuring the driver and sole occupant. After going through the blast fence, many parts were shed before the aircraft came to rest in flames 830 feet beyond the end of the runway. Emergency vehicles from the airport and of the New York Fire Department were quickly started for the scene. Although impeded somewhat by weather conditions, they reached it within about six minutes and extinguished the fire. Evacuation and rescue of the occupants had already been effected in a total time of about five minutes, although most persons were out of the wreckage and away from the fire site in half this time. Many of the survivors were taken to hospital in privately owned vehicles. Destruction of the aircraft was extensive.
Probable cause:
The Board concludes that the aircraft did become airborne. Investigation of the accident has pointed out that Captain Poe erroneously believed that if the speed of rotation were appreciably below the calculated VR speed, a longer takeoff run would result. The Board concludes that the takeoff was discontinued as a result of the action of the check pilot, who was not seated in a pilot seat, in reaching forward without warning and pulling the throttles back. This action caused power to be decreased or all four engines.
The Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the unnecess discontinuing of the takeoff by the check pilot, who was not in either pilot seat. The contributing factors in this accident were the marginally poor weather, snow on the runway, and the possibility of the Pitot head heat not having been on.
Final Report:

Crash of a Lockheed L-749 Constellation near Guadalajara: 45 killed

Date & Time: Jun 2, 1958 at 2206 LT
Operator:
Registration:
XA-MEV
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Guadalajara – Mexico City
MSN:
2665
YOM:
1951
Flight number:
AM111
Country:
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
38
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
45
Circumstances:
The aircraft took off from Guadalajara Airport on a scheduled flight to Mexico City, carrying 38 passengers and a crew of 7. It did not follow the established climb-out procedure and crashed at approximately 2206 hours local time against La Latilla mountain, approximately 13 km from the radio beacon west of Guadalajara Airport, killing all persons aboard.
Probable cause:
The aircraft did not climb out in accordance with previously approved procedures - the provisions of which are set out in the Airports Manual.
Final Report:

Crash of a Douglas C-53-DO in Monterrey: 18 killed

Date & Time: Mar 25, 1954
Operator:
Registration:
XA-GUN
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Mazatlán – Monterrey
MSN:
7358
YOM:
1942
Country:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
15
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
18
Circumstances:
On approach to Monterrey-Del Norte Airport, the airplane crashed on the Friars Peak located 16 km north of the airfield. All 18 occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
The crew as completing the approach at an insufficient altitude while awaiting for the landing clearance.

Crash of an Avro 652 Anson IV in Cacahuatepec

Date & Time: Feb 11, 1949
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
XA-FUG
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
96349
Country:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
5
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
During the takeoff roll, the aircraft caught fire for unknown reason and came to rest. All seven occupants were injured while the aircraft was destroyed.

Crash of a Travel Air S6000B in Acapulco

Date & Time: Sep 15, 1934
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
XB-AJK
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Mexico City – Acapulco
Country:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The airplane crashed for unknown reasons upon landing at Acapulco Airport. The female passenger and the pilot were slightly injured. This was the first accident involving Aeronaves de Mexico that was created the day prior to the accident on September 14, 1934.