Crash of a Douglas C-47-DL in Seven Islands

Date & Time: Mar 19, 1957
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
CF-ILY
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
MSN:
4410
YOM:
1942
Location:
Seven Islands
Quebec
Country:
Canada
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Crash landed at Seven Islands Airport. There were no injuries but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-75-DL near Cebu City: 25 killed

Date & Time: Mar 17, 1957 at 0140 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
2100925
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Government
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Cebu City – Manila
MSN:
19388
YOM:
1944
Location:
Cebu City
Cebu
Country:
Philippines
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
21
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
25
Circumstances:
Christened 'Mount Pinatubo', the airplane departed Cebu City past 0130LT bound for the capital city, carrying journalist, members of the government and Ramon Magsaysay, President of the Republic of The Philippines. While climbing by night, the right engine lost power then failed. The crew was unable to maintain a safe altitude when the airplane struck the slope of Mt Manunggal located about 35 km northwest of the Airport. Rescuers arrived on the scene in the early morning and a passenger, a journalist of the 'Philippine Herald' was seriously injured and evacuated while 25 other occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
The accident was the consequence of the failure of the spindle drive shaft on the carburetor that snapped during climb, causing the right engine to fail.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-25-DK in New Delhi: 5 killed

Date & Time: Mar 13, 1957 at 0915 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
VT-CFB
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Training
Survivors:
No
Site:
City
Schedule:
New Delhi - New Delhi
MSN:
13626
YOM:
1944
Location:
New Delhi-Safdarjung
National Capital Territory of Delhi
Country:
India
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
VT-CFB took off from Safdarjung Airport at approximately 0832LT on a training flight. At 0839 it reported as being 20 miles north of Safdarjung Airport and at 5 000 ft. There was no further radiotelephony contact with the aircraft. At approximately 0915 hours it crashed 10 miles north of Safdarjung Airport and was destroyed by impact and fire. Both occupants were killed as were three inmates of a hut in the labour colony where the crash occurred.
Probable cause:
The accident was attributed to loss of control of the aircraft as a result of a spin, inadvertently entered into at a height too low for recovery.
Final Report:

Crash of a Douglas VC-47A near Hakuba: 4 killed

Date & Time: Mar 12, 1957 at 1200 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
43-47979
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Tokyo – Hamamatsu
MSN:
13795/25240
YOM:
1944
Location:
Hakuba
Chūbu
Country:
Japan
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
Struck a mountain located near Hakuba while performing a flight from Tokyo-Haneda to Hamamatsu. All four crew members were killed.

Crash of a Douglas C-47-DL near Tuluá: 15 killed

Date & Time: Mar 9, 1957 at 1000 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
HK-155
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Condoto – Buenaventura – Cali
MSN:
4338
YOM:
1942
Location:
Tuluá
Valle del Cauca
Country:
Colombia
Region:
South America
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
12
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
15
Circumstances:
HK-155 departed Cali for Condoto at 0827LT. It reported taking-off from Condoto on the return flight at 0950LT and advised that it would fly via Buenaventura. Shortly after take-off, HK-155 changed from Condoto Tower frequency to the Cali aeronautical telecommunications frequency and reported at 0958 that it had departed Condoto at 0950 with a load of 975 kg including 12 passengers and that it was proceeding to Cali via Buenaventura. No record could be found of a later call from the aircraft on any of the frequencies available. The flight from Condoto to Cali would normally take about 50 to 55 minutes. At 1037, Cali called HK-155 but received no reply. The Cali route frequencies log indicates at 1107 that Bogota: ATC had declared an alert with regard to HK-155. The wreckage was found on the slope of a wooded mountain located 32 km west of Tuluá. All 15 occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the probable cause of the accident was an instrument flight at inadequate altitude. The following factors were considered as contributing:
- The Buenaventura route was not followed,
- Instrument flight which precluded visual means of checking the aircraft's position,
- The pilot did not consider it necessary to check his position by means of El Paso radio beacon,
- Over-confidence on the part of the pilot regarding his knowledge of the route,
- Flight outside the established route or airway
- Unfavorable weather conditions.
As the aircraft crashed on the direct route Condoto - Cali and the said route had not been authorized by the Civil Aeronautics Department, it can be logically assumed that the pilot is solely responsible for this accident since he flew, on instruments, a route which had not been authorized, even for visual flights.
Final Report:

Crash of a Douglas C-47D in Fukuoka: 3 killed

Date & Time: Feb 26, 1957 at 1045 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
43-49792
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
No
Site:
City
MSN:
15608/27053
YOM:
1945
Location:
Fukuoka
Kyūshū
Country:
Japan
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
In unclear circumstances, the C-47 collided with a USAF North American F-100 Super Sabre over the city of Fukuoka. While the pilot of the fighter was able to land at Fukuoka-Itazuke Airport, the C-47 crashed onto two vacant houses. All three crew members were killed and there was no injuries on the ground.

Crash of a Douglas C-47B-1-DK near Núria: 9 killed

Date & Time: Jan 22, 1957
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
14655/F-RAVM
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Training
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Algiers – Toulouse
MSN:
14655/26100
YOM:
1944
Location:
Núria
Catalonia
Country:
Spain
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
7
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
9
Circumstances:
The crew was returning to his base in Toulouse following a training mission in Algiers on behalf of the Centre d’Instruction des Équipages de Transport de l’Armée de l’Air (CIET). While cruising over the Pyrénées Mountains at an altitude of 8'900 feet, the crew informed ATC they encountered poor weather conditions with reduced visibility due to fog. Shortly later, the aircraft hit the north slope of the Coma de Vaka Peak located southeast of Núria, near the French border. All nine occupants were killed in the crash.

Crash of a Douglas C-47-DL in Reggio de Calabre

Date & Time: Jan 2, 1957 at 1305 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
I-LEDA
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Rome – Reggio de Calabre – Catania
MSN:
4411
YOM:
1942
Location:
Reggio de Calabre
Calabria
Country:
Italy
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
4
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
After touchdown at Reggio de Calabre Airport, the airplane was unable to stop within the remaining distance, overran, struck a perimeter wall and came to a halt. All seven occupants were rescued while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Douglas C-47-Dl on Mt Giner: 21 killed

Date & Time: Dec 22, 1956 at 1820 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
I-LINC
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Rome – Milan
MSN:
9101
YOM:
1943
Location:
Mt Giner
Trentino-Alto Adige / Südtirol
Country:
Italy
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
17
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
21
Circumstances:
The aircraft, I-LINC, took off from Ciampino-Airport, Rome, at 1508Z on a VFR flight plan from Ciampino to Elba and an IFR plan from Elba to Milan-Malpensa along airways A3 and A9, which involve flight over the Elba, Genoa and Lombardia beacons. The cruising altitude was 10,500 feet. At 1520Z the flight plan was changed from VFR to IFR. The radio communications exchanged between the aircraft and Rome and Milan area controls were normal until approximately 1702Z when the aircraft confirmed that it was maintaining altitude 9,500 feet as instructed by Milan ACC. After 1714Z, attempts by Milan control to contact I-LINC were unsuccessful. The aircraft crashed at approximately 1720Z on the northern slopes of Monte Giner. All 4 crew members and 17 passengers were killed instantly.
Probable cause:
The Commission concluded that the change in the route followed by the aircraft and the resulting accident may be attributed to the following:
- The pilot did not follow the airways assigned in the flight plan, which constitutes a violation of flight rules,
- He did not check his direction and position along the new route,
- Unfavorable weather conditions and drift existed,
- There was a possibility of error in the navigational instruments.
Final Report:
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