Caracas-Maiquetía-Simón Bolívar | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

The crew departed Maiquetía-Simón Bolívar Airport for a local training flight. En route, all four engines stopped simultaneously. The pilot-in-command attempted to ditch the aircraft that crashed into the sea few km off shore. All three crew members were rescued while the aircraft was lost.

Probable cause:

Failure of all four engines due to a fuel exhaustion.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-85-DL in Páramo de Turmal: 12 killed

Date & Time: Mar 9, 1961

Type of aircraft:

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

Operator:

Registration:

YV-C-AZQ

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

San Antonio del Tachira – Maiquetía

MSN:

19986

YOM:

1944

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

23352

Circumstances:

The aircraft departed San Antonio del Tachira Airport at 1230LT for a 2 hours and 45 minutes flight to Maiquetía-Simon Bolivar Airport. En route, while cruising in poor weather conditions, the airplane struck the slope of a mountain located near Páramo de Turmal. The wreckage was found few hours later and all 12 occupants have been killed. At the time of the accident, the airplane was not following the assigned route due to navigation error on part of the crew.

Probable cause:

A navigational error in course of an instrument flight at insufficient altitude caused the accident. Contributing factors were:
- Failure to follow the route San Antonio - Maiquetía as called for by the LAV Operations Manual,
- The flight took place outside of the route established by the National Airways Division,
- Overconfidence of the pilot in his knowledge of the route,
- Instrument flight which prevented visual checking of the position of the aircraft.

Final Report:

Crash of a Douglas C-47-DL in Maiquetía: 3 killed

Date & Time: Dec 1, 1959 at 1111 LT

Type of aircraft:

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

Operator:

Registration:

YV-C-AKU

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Test

Survivors:

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Maiquetía – Maiquetía

MSN:

4581

YOM:

1942

Location:

Caracas-Maiquetía-Simón Bolívar

Vargas

Country:

Venezuela

Region:

South America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew was in charge to perform a local test flight out from Maiquetía-Simon Bolivar Airport. Shortly after takeoff, while climbing, the crew informed ATC about technical problems with the right engine and obtained the permission to return for an emergency landing. Shortly later, the airplane crashed on Mt Playa Grande near the airport. The aircraft was destroyed and all three crew members were killed.

Probable cause:

The accident was caused by an overspeeding propeller followed by failure of the starboard engine.

Crash of a Douglas R4D-1 near Niquitao: 8 killed

Date & Time: Sep 3, 1957 at 1200 LT

Type of aircraft:

Douglas DC-3

Operator:

Registration:

YV-C-AVG

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Maiquetía – Barinas

MSN:

4764

YOM:

1942

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The aircraft, chartered by the Socony Mobil Oil Company of Venezuela, took off on a special flight on 3 September at 0903LT from the Maiquetía International Airport on a through flight to Barinas. It carried a crew of 3 and 5 passengers. As the aircraft did not reach its destination nor any of the neighbouring airports that same day an emergency was declared. The wreckage was found on 12 September in the Penas Blancas Hills. There were no survivors.

Probable cause:

The probable causes of the accident are as follows:
- Bad weather and the latter's influence on radio communications and radio compass,
- Leaving the recommended route led to the aircraft going into a dangerous area,
- Flying between Boconó and Barinas at an inadequate height.

Final Report:

Crash of a Lockheed L-749-79-34 Constellation on Mt Naiguatá: 25 killed

Date & Time: Nov 27, 1956 at 0815 LT

Type of aircraft:

Lockheed L-749 Constellation

Operator:

Registration:

YV-C-AMA

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

New York – Caracas

MSN:

2560

YOM:

1947

Flight number:

LV253

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

YV-C-AMA, on scheduled flight 253, took off from Idlewild Airport, NY, for Maiquetía, Venezuela, on 26 November with 7 crew and 18 passengers aboard. The flight plan gave an altitude of 17 000 ft, and the duration of the flight was estimated at 9 hours 48 minutes, with Barcelona and Curaçao as alternate airports. The pilot transmitted two position reports, the first, 75 miles northwest of Maiquetía, at 17 500 ft at 0751 hours, and the second, 14 minutes later, 35 miles northwest of Maiquetía at 7 000 ft. No further communication was received from YV-C-AMA after it had been cleared to change to tower frequency. Following the failure to report to the control tower, the aircraft was repeatedly called on all Maiquetía Control Centre frequencies at 0815 hours, with negative results. A state of emergency was declared at 0835 hours, and it was later established that the aircraft struck the western slope of peak El Avila located in the El Avila National Park at an altitude of 6 702 ft, killing all 25 occupants.

Probable cause:

The instrument flight training manuals show that the Linea Aeropostal Venezolana has approved a procedure for entering Maiquetía in semi-IFR conditions. This procedure consists in maintaining a minimum flight level of 10 000 ft as far as the station (Miq 292.5), then turning north over this point and continuing on a 360° heading for 4 minutes followed by a standard let-down to 1 200 ft above sea level until contact is established, and a return to the aerodrome under VFR. It is obvious that the pilot -in-command did not fully comply with this procedure, and, after accumulating errors in estimating his speed, endeavored to make a direct approach which proved fatal because his altitude at the time of his last report was insufficient to cross the Avila mountain range against which the impact occurred.

Final Report:

Crash of a Curtiss C-46F Commando off Maracaibo: 4 killed

Date & Time: Sep 14, 1955

Type of aircraft:

Curtiss C-46 Commando

Operator:

Registration:

YV-C-EVL

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Cargo

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Maiquetía – Guatemala City

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

While cruising off Maracaibo, the airplane went out of control and crashed in unknown circumstances into the sea. SAR operations were conducted but eventually suspended few days later as no trace of the aircraft nor the four crew members was found.

Crash of a Douglas C-53-DO off Guaira: 24 killed

Date & Time: Dec 25, 1952

Type of aircraft:

Douglas C-53 Skytrooper (DC-3)

Operator:

Registration:

YV-C-AVX

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Maiquetía – Porlamar

MSN:

7391

YOM:

1942

Location:

Caracas-Maiquetía-Simón Bolívar

Vargas

Country:

Venezuela

Region:

South America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Shortly after takeoff from Maiquetía-Simon Bolivar Airport, while in initial climb, the aircraft went out of control and crashed into the sea off the Guaira harbor. All 24 occupants were killed.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-85-DL into the Caribbean Sea: 3 killed

Date & Time: Aug 20, 1948

Type of aircraft:

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

Operator:

Registration:

YV-C-AVN

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Cargo

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Maiquetía – Las Piedras – Maracaibo

MSN:

19984

YOM:

1944

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

On the leg from Maiquetía to Las Piedras, while on a cargo flight to Maracaibo, the aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances into the Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. No trace of the aircraft nor the crew was found.

Crash of a Curtiss C-46D-15-CU off Maiquetía

Date & Time: Jul 10, 1948

Type of aircraft:

Curtiss C-46 Commando

Operator:

Registration:

CU-P198

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Cargo

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Havana - Maiquetía

MSN:

33534

YOM:

1945

Location:

Caracas-Maiquetía-Simón Bolívar

Vargas

Country:

Venezuela

Region:

South America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

On final approach to Maiquetía-Simón Bolívar Airport, while on a cargo flight from Havana, both engines flamed out. The aircraft stalled and crashed into the sea few hundred yards short of the runway threshold. All three crew members were rescued while the aircraft sank and was lost.

Probable cause:

Double engine flame out caused by a fuel starvation.