Crash of a Douglas C-47B-20-DK in Khartoum: 2 killed

Date & Time: Feb 21, 1967
Operator:
Registration:
ST-AAM
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Khartoum - Khartoum
MSN:
15524/26969
YOM:
1944
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
The crew was completing a local training flight at Khartoum-Haj Yusuf Airport. Following several circuits and landings, the crew started a new approach to runway 36 with engine at idle. The airplane stalled, struck the roofs of two houses then crashed onto the ground, hit a truck and came to rest, broken in two. Two crew members were killed while two others were injured.
Probable cause:
Due to the lack of conclusive evidence it is not possible to formulate an opinion as to the direct cause of the accident. From the evidence available it is possible that one or more of the following items could have contributed tot the cause of the accident:
- No satisfactory reason has yet been put forward for the initial turn of the aircraft to the port,
- The loss of height after the turn was probably caused by the selection of the flaps from 1/4 position to the 'UP' position,
- From witness' statement it would appear that at some time after the aircraft was starting to re-commence climbing on one or both of the engines 'coughed'. This could have been caused by the inadvertent mishandling of either the throttle and/or mixture control levers by the pilot under training as he left his seat. The possibility also exists that he may have pulled himself up by the ignition master switch, at the same time inadvertently switching 'off' the port ignition switch. (evidence of an explosion in the port exhaust system could have been caused by either of the above events,
- If anything like the possibility mentioned in item 3) did in fact occur it would have been just at the critical time when the Training captain was re-gaining control of the aircraft, and could have presented him with a situation from which it was impossible to recover, bearing in mind the proximity of obstructions and the fact that he was alone in the cockpit.

Crash of a Douglas AC-47D Spooky in Bình Thủy

Date & Time: Feb 18, 1967
Operator:
Registration:
44-76542
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
16126/32874
YOM:
1945
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
After touchdown at Bình Thủy Airfield, the airplane went out of control, veered off runway and crashed. All seven crew members were injured and the aircraft was destroyed.

Crash of a Douglas C-47B-40-DK in Aleppo: 8 killed

Date & Time: Feb 6, 1967
Operator:
Registration:
YK-ACB
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Damascus - Aleppo
MSN:
16811/33559
YOM:
1945
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
16
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
8
Circumstances:
On final approach to Aleppo-Nejrab Airport, the crew encountered marginal weather. In limited visibility, the aircraft was too low when it struck a building, stalled and crashed few hundred yards short of runway threshold. Eight occupants were killed while 11 others were injured. It was reported that the crew was completing the approaching below the glide.

Crash of a Douglas AC-47D Spooky in Đức Phổ: 7 killed

Date & Time: Jan 9, 1967
Operator:
Registration:
43-49124
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Đà Nẵng - Đà Nẵng
MSN:
14940/26385
YOM:
1944
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
7
Circumstances:
The crew departed Đà Nẵng Airport on a target reconnaissance, carrying a crew of seven. While cruising by night at low altitude and low speed, the airplane was hit by enemy fire and crashed near Đức Phổ. All seven crew members were killed.
Crew:
Cpt Charles William Robertson,
1st Lt James Donald Goodman,
Maj Joseph E. Wilkinson,
S/Sgt Raymond Medina,
S/Sgt Cecil Truman Thompson,
A1C Dana Richard Kelley,
A2C Lonny Leroy Mitzel.
Probable cause:
Shot down by enemy fire.

Crash of a Douglas C-47 at Yelahanka AFB: 1 killed

Date & Time: Jan 1, 1967
Operator:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Yelahanka AFB - Yelahanka AFB
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Circumstances:
The crew was completing a local training flight at Yelahanka AFB. After touchdown, the airplane bounced several times, went out of control, veered off runway and came to rest in flames. A crew member was killed while two others were injured.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-80-DL on Tajumbina Peak: 29 killed

Date & Time: Dec 24, 1966 at 0956 LT
Operator:
Registration:
HK-161
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Bogotá – Pasto
MSN:
19630
YOM:
1944
Flight number:
AV729
Country:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
26
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
29
Captain / Total flying hours:
6653
Captain / Total hours on type:
2069.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
1701
Copilot / Total hours on type:
1097
Aircraft flight hours:
28422
Circumstances:
Flight 739 was a scheduled domestic flight from Bogotá-El Dorado Airport to Pasta-Cano Airport. It was scheduled to depart Bogotá at 0615 hours local time; however, when the crew reported to the Avianca operations office at 0550 hours they were advised that Eldorado Airport was closed owing to thick fog. The airport was reopened to operations at 0750 hours. At about 0830 hours Flight 729 was observed to have commenced taxiing and entered the runway system without having received a clearance to do so. The flight was then given instructions for Runway 30 but further transmissions on 121.9 mc/s were not acknowledged. The flight was subsequently contacted on 118.1 mc/s and the pilot stated he had confused instructions with those given to another aircraft. Take-off was made on runway 10 and when over the threshold of Runway 12 the aircraft commenced a very steep turn to the left in a nose-high attitude. Recovery was effected and the aircraft departed at 0838 hours on a VFR flight plan. After the take-off and climb the flight left the Bogota tower frequency and subsequently contacted Bogota Control and Route Control on 5589 Kc/s. The following position reports were received: 12 500 ft over Guataqui at 0842 hrs, over El Paso at 0902 hrs, over Tuluá at 0924 hrs; at 8 500 ft over Cali, at 0942 hrs, and at 8 500 it over Santander at 0948 hrs estimating Dos Rios at 1014 hrs. No position report for Dos Rios was received. The Tuluá position report was transmitted to Cali as follows: "Tuluá 0922 descending to 8 500, estimating Cali 0942". As the message was very weak the flight was requested to confirm its departure and position; it reported on route frequency 5476.5 KC/S its departure as 0825/38. The flight was then requested to change to VHF frequency 119.1 for radio contact when approaching Cali. It did so but as its signals were not heard it returned to the route frequency stating that it would remain on that frequency since it had not been able to establish contact on the VHF frequency. At 1030 hrs Cali requested information on the flight from Pasto, which reported that the flight had not arrived and there was no information about it. From 1030 hrs onwards the aircraft was called on all available frequencies but no reply was received. An alert phase was declared at 1100 hrs and followed by a distress phase at 1125 hrs. The wreckage of the aircraft was found on 3 January 1967 after 11 days of searching. It had crashed and caught fire at an elevation of approximately 11 600 ft on the southern slopes of Tajumbina Peak (elevation 13 572 ft) in the El Descanse Police Inspectorate. Coordinates of the site of accident were 1° 20' 30" N 76° 47' 30" W. The accident occurred at approximately 0956 hrs on 24 December 1966. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and all 29 occupants have been killed.
Probable cause:
The accident was attributed to pilot error consisting of inflight indiscipline and rash imprudence on the part of the pilot-in-command of the aircraft for:
- Not having made use of the regulation rest period and having consumed alcoholic drinks a few hours before flying,
- Not having followed the route recommended in the Manual of Colombian Air Routes, which he reported he was taking; having reported positions that did not correspond to reality,
- Continuing a visual flight in unfavourable IFR conditions thereby failing to comply with the standards laid down in Part V of the Manual of Aeronautical Rules,
- Having flown at an altitude below the minimum safety altitude laid down for visual flying in Part V of the Manual of Aeronautical Rules (he flew along the Canon del Rfo Cascabel and subsequently crashed at an altitude of about 11 600 ft),
A possible contributory cause of this accident was inadequate supervision by the Airline consisting of a lack of control over the flight crews.
Final Report:

Crash of a Douglas C-47B-15-DK in Chachapoyas

Date & Time: Nov 30, 1966
Operator:
Registration:
OB-R-568
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
15238/26683
YOM:
1944
Country:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Crashed on takeoff for unknown reason. There were no casualties.

Crash of a Douglas C-47B in Saigon: 31 killed

Date & Time: Nov 26, 1966 at 1920 LT
Operator:
Registration:
44-76574
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Saigon - Korat
MSN:
16158/32906
YOM:
1945
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
25
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
31
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff from Saigon-Tan Son Nhat Airport, while climbing, the crew informed ground about the failure of the left engine and elected to return for a safe landing. On final approach, as he was unable to lower the landing gear, the captain decided to make a go-around and completed a circuit. While on a second approach, the airplane went out of control and crashed in a rice paddy field located few km from the runway threshold. All 25 passengers and 6 crew members were killed. The left propeller was feathered at the time of impact.
Crew:
Cpt Karl David Sobolik,
Lt Col William Affley Lynch,
Cpt Carroll Gene Hogeman,
Cpt John Richard Humphrey,
Cpt Joe H. Trickey,
S/Sgt Alan Ralph Steffen.
Probable cause:
Failure of the left engine after takeoff.

Crash of a Douglas C-47B in South Vietnam

Date & Time: Nov 11, 1966
Operator:
Registration:
43-48961
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
14777/26222
YOM:
1944
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The aircraft was used in psychological warfare role. It was fitted with loudspeakers for the delivery of propaganda messages. In flight, an engine failed, forcing the crew to attempt an emergency landing in an open field. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair while all four crew members were rescued.
Probable cause:
Engine failure in flight.