Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

Operator:

Registration:

975

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Grostenquin – Pisa

MSN:

14558/26003

YOM:

1944

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

En route to Pisa-San Giusto Airport, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with rain falls and the visibility was limited. By night, the aircraft struck the slope of a mountain located in the Apennins Mountain Range, near Pistoia. All five crew members were killed.

Crash of a Douglas C-47B-5-DK in Paulis

Date & Time: Dec 1, 1958 at 1200 LT

Type of aircraft:

Landing (descent or approach)

Operator:

Registration:

K-18

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Democratic Republic of Congo

MSN:

14603/26048

YOM:

1944

Location:

Isiro

Orientale

Country:

Region:

Africa

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The approach to Paulis Airport (now Isiro) was completed in high cross winds. On touchdown, the airplane registered K-18 and OT-CWH swerved on runway, veered to the right, lost its right main gear and came to rest. There were no injuries but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Douglas C-47B-30-DK in East Sale: 1 killed

Date & Time: Nov 29, 1958

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

A65-89

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

16133/32881

YOM:

1945

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Parked at East Sale Airport, the airplane was illegally taken by a RAAF aircraftman. Shortly after takeoff, the 'pilot' lost control of the airplane that crashed near the runway end. The airplane was destroyed and the sole occupant was killed. The aircraftman did not held any pilot license.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-30-DK in Tangier

Date & Time: Nov 14, 1958

Type of aircraft:

Landing (descent or approach)

Operator:

Registration:

CN-CCJ

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

MSN:

13805/25250

YOM:

1944

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

An undercarriage failed on landing, causing the aircraft to skid. There were no injuries but the aircraft was considered as damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Douglas C-47 in Bolivia: 3 killed

Date & Time: Nov 8, 1958

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

TAM-05

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Cargo

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

San Borja – La Paz

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Crashed in unknown circumstances in a mountainous area while conducting a flight from San Borja to La Paz. The wreckage was not found.

Crash of a Douglas C-47-DL near Roccatamburo: 8 killed

Date & Time: Nov 3, 1958 at 1900 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

YE-AAB

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Government

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Rome – Belgrade

MSN:

4345

YOM:

1941

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

3165

Captain / Total hours on type:

2125.00

Circumstances:

The aircraft was on an official government flight from Rome, Italy to Yugoslavia, taking the Under Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Yemen to Belgrade. Four crew and four passengers were aboard. The flight departed Ciampino Airport (Rome) at 1645Z on an IFR flight plan and was to proceed via Viterbo, Pescara and Split to Belgrade. Due to the fact that the aircraft gave an impossible estimate for its ETA over Viterbo, Ciampino Tower, at 1729Z on its own initiative, notified the aircraft that it was on a bearing of 315°, which indicated that it was to the west of Viterbo. At 1736Z, YE-AAB advised it was over the Viterbo NDB giving its ETA at Pescara as 1817Z. At 1738Z the Tower cleared the aircraft to climb from 8,500 feet to 13,000 feet and requested it to transfer from VHF to HF for further en route navigation messages. The aircraft acknowledged, and this was the last effective radio contact. At approximately 1800Z the aircraft crashed on the western slopes of Monte Porretta at a height of 2,690 feet. All aboard were killed and the aircraft was destroyed.

Probable cause:

The accident was due to faulty conduct of the flight. The following factors were reported:
- Inadequately trained crew,
- Faulty use of the radio compass,
- Failure to request assistance of D/F facilities,
- Erroneous estimates,
- The pilot-in-command and the crew had an inadequate knowledge of the Italian and English phraseology to be used in ground-air-ground radio communications,
- Erroneous assessment of adverse weather conditions, particularly at the destination airport, bearing in mind the lack of adequate facilities under such conditions,
- Errors in compilation of the flight plan, error of approximately 12 minutes in estimated time for the Rome-Viterbo segment,
- Inaccurate indication of frequencies available in aircraft, in actual fact, the control frequency of the Rome ACC (120.1 Kc) was not available although it was essential for flight assistance,
- Inadequacy of charts covering the area along the route. It appears that there was no chart of Europe on board and the flight guide which was found in the wreckage was out of date.

Final Report:

Crash of a Douglas C-47D in Harrisburg: 6 killed

Date & Time: Oct 22, 1958

Type of aircraft:

Landing (descent or approach)

Operator:

Registration:

43-48300

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Perrin – Youngstown – Harrisburg-Olmstead

MSN:

14116/25561

YOM:

1944

Location:

Harrisburg-Intl

Pennsylvania

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 performing a flight from Perrin AFB (Denison, Texas) to Olmstead AFB (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) with an intermediate stop at Youngstown, Ohio. On final approach to Olmstead AFB, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with rain falls and fog. While under instruments at an altitude of 700 feet, the airplane struck tree tops, stalled and crashed in flames in a wooded area located two miles short of runway. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and all six occupants were killed.
Crew:
Cpt E. D. Kossick, pilot,
1st Lt J. O. McMichael, copilot,
A2c William C. Bailey, flight engineer,
Lt Col J. F. Tracy, navigator.
Passengers:
S/Sgt C. D. Jolley,
M/Sgt S. W. Christian.

Crash of a Douglas C-47B-30-DK near Blantyre: 6 killed

Date & Time: Oct 19, 1958 at 0830 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

476560/F-RAST

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Paris – Blantyre – Antananarivo

MSN:

16144/32892

YOM:

1945

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Few minutes after takeoff from from Blantyre-Chileka Airport, while climbing, the airplane struck the slope of Mt Chiradzulu located about 21 km east of the airfield. The aircraft was destroyed and all six crew members were killed.
Crew:
Cpt Georges Mercier,
Lt Jacques Laguibe,
Adj Bernard Moreau,
Adj Louis Coudray,
Adj Georges Babylé,
M/Sgt Georges Moreau.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-DL near Villamontes: 20 killed

Date & Time: Oct 15, 1958 at 1730 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

TAM-03

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site: