Crash of a Douglas C-47 on Mt Kennedy: 8 killed

Date & Time: Jul 16, 1978 at 1655 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
FAC-680
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Riohacha – Santa Marta – Barranquilla – Bogotá
Location:
Mt Kennedy
Magdalena
Country:
Colombia
Region:
South America
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
8
Circumstances:
The C-47 departed Riohacha Airport at 1615LT on a flight to Bogotá with intermediate stops in Santa Marta and Barranquilla. About five minutes before ETA, while cruising in low clouds, the airplane struck the slope of Mt Kennedy located about 22 km east of Santa Marta-Simon Bolivár Airport. The wreckage was found in an isolated area three days later and all eight occupants were killed.
Crew:
Cpt Jaime Sánchez Tocarruncho, pilot,
Lt Ramon Villanueva Rodriguez, copilot,
Cpt Jose Orlando Moscoso Valencia, navigator,
Cpt Edra Rincón TAvera, navigator,
Ezequiel Prada Rueda, mechanic,
Omar Hernán Linares Rifaldo, mechanic.
Passengers:
1st Lt Guillermo Leon Valencia Obando,
Sgt Ramiro Waldo Giraldo Ramirez.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-10-DK in Richmond

Date & Time: Jul 9, 1978 at 1415 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
N45873
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Skydiving / Paratroopers
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Richmond - Richmond
MSN:
12458
YOM:
1944
Location:
Richmond
Indiana
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
40
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
1008
Captain / Total hours on type:
145.00
Circumstances:
After takeoff from runway 23 at Richmond Municipal Airport, while climbing to a speed of 48 knots, the airplane nosed up then banked left and crashed in a corn field. All 42 occupants were rescued, among them three were injured. The aircrasft was written off.
Probable cause:
Stall during initial climb due to the failure of the elevator tab control system. It was determined that the elevator swage fitting was binding on bulkhead raceway station 63.
Final Report:

Crash of a Douglas C-47B-5-Dk in Santo Tomás La Unión

Date & Time: May 30, 1978
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Oneida
Registration:
TG-LAM
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Cargo
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
MSN:
14618/26063
YOM:
1944
Location:
Santo Tomás La Unión
Sololá
Country:
Guatemala
Region:
Central America
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Crashed in unknown circumstances, injuring all four occupants.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-45-DL in Badkhalsa: 8 killed

Date & Time: May 19, 1978 at 1212 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Indian Government
Registration:
VT-DEU
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Calibration
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
New Delhi - New Delhi
MSN:
9952
YOM:
1943
Location:
Badkhalsa
Haryana
Country:
India
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
5
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
8
Circumstances:
The airplane was engaged in a calibration flight at New Delhi-Palam Airport on behalf of the Indian Civil Aviation Authority. While cruising at a relative low altitude, the airplane suffered an engine failure. It banked left, lost height and crashed in flames about 40 km north of Palam Airport. All eight occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
In-flight failure of the left engine due to the dysfunction of the fuel pump at a critical stage of flight.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-75-DL in Surat Thani

Date & Time: Mar 15, 1978
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
L2-48/18
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
MSN:
19400
YOM:
1944
Location:
Surat Thani
Surat Thani (สุราษฎร์ธานี)
Country:
Thailand
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
8
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
En route, the left engine failed. The crew was cleared to divert to Surat Thani Airport for an emergency landing. Upon touchdown, the airplane went out of control, veered off runway and came to rest. All 10 occupants escaped with minor injuries while the aircraft was written off.
Probable cause:
Failure of the left engine in flight for unknown reasons.

Crash of a Douglas C-47 on Mt San Vicente: 5 killed

Date & Time: Feb 21, 1978
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
FAC-668
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Cimitarra – Bucaramanga
Location:
Mt San Vicente (Serranía de Los Cobardes)
Santander
Country:
Colombia
Region:
South America
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The crew was returning to Bucaramanga-Palonegro Airport after military personnel have been dropped off in Cimitarra for the upcoming elections. En route, the airplane struck the slope of Mt San Vicente located in the Cordillera de los Cobardes (Serranía Los Cobardes). The aircraft was destroyed upon impact and all five occupants were killed.
Crew:
Cpt José Francisco López Rodriguez, pilot,
Lt Hernán Bravo Bustamante, copilot,
Fernando Hincapié Gómez, technician,
Euledonio Roa Bautista, technician,
Luis Gerardo Maffia Benavides, technician.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-75-DL in Artigas: 44 killed

Date & Time: Feb 10, 1978 at 1120 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
T-511
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Artigas - Montevideo
MSN:
19301
YOM:
1943
Flight number:
Uruguay 511
Location:
Artigas
Artigas
Country:
Uruguay
Region:
South America
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
40
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
44
Circumstances:
After takeoff from Artigas, while on a flight to Montevideo with 40 civilian passengers on board, the pilot contacted ATC and reported engine problems. He was cleared to complete a turn to join the approach path when the airplane stalled and crashed in flames. All 44 occupants were killed. The exact cause of the engine problem remains unknown. The airplane had dual military (T-511) and civil (CX-BJH) registrations.

Crash of a Douglas C-47B-30-DK in Bogotá

Date & Time: Nov 20, 1977
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
FAC-1127
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
MSN:
16290/33038
YOM:
1945
Location:
Bogotá
Bogotá Capital District
Country:
Colombia
Region:
South America
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Crashed in unknown circumstances. Crew fate unknown.

Crash of a Douglas C-47-DL near Manidar: 3 killed

Date & Time: Oct 23, 1977
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
C-FSAW
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Geographical / Geophysical / Scientific
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
MSN:
4644
YOM:
1942
Location:
Manidar
Razavi Khorasan
Country:
Iran
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
The crew was engaged in a geo-survey mission, searching for uranium. While cruising in a valley, the crew encountered limited visibility with low clouds when, facing a mountain, the pilot-in-command made a 180 turn. The aircraft struck the mountain and crashed. The airplane was destroyed and all three occupants were killed.
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