Crash of a Piper PA-31-310 Navajo off New Town: 1 killed

Date & Time: Jun 20, 1990 at 0451 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
YV-2200P
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Fort Lauderdale - Caracas
MSN:
31-7400006
YOM:
1974
Country:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Circumstances:
On June 20, 1990, at 04:51 Atlantic standard time (AST), a Piper PA-31, YV2200P, registered to and operated by Juan A. Zeley, crashed near New Town, Andros Island, Bahamas, while on a business flight from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Caracas, Venezuela. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. The Venezuelan registered airplane was destroyed. The pilot, the sole occupant of the airplane, who held a Venezuelan commercial pilot certificate was fatally injured. The flight originated at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, Fort, Lauderdale, Florida, on June 20, 1990 at 04:05 AST.

Crash of a Casa 212 Aviocar 200 near Caracas: 25 killed

Date & Time: Jan 23, 1990 at 0745 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
ARV-0210
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Caracas - Puerto Ayacucho
MSN:
268
YOM:
1982
Country:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
22
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
25
Circumstances:
After takeoff from Caracas-Maiquetía-Simon Bolivar Airport, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with heavy rain falls. In limited visibility, the aircraft struck the slope of Mt El Junquito located near the village of La Sabaneta, about 25 km from the airport. The aircraft was destroyed and all 25 occupants were killed, among them several civilians.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain after the crew seemed to lost his orientation while climbing in poor weather conditions.

Crash of a Beechcraft 65-B80 Queen Air 80 in Caracas: 2 killed

Date & Time: Jul 17, 1978
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
YV-1111P
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
La Carlota - Porlamar
MSN:
LD-425
YOM:
1969
Country:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
Few minutes after takeoff from La Carlota-Francisco de Miranda Airbase in Caracas, en route to Porlamar, the twin engine airplane struck the slope of a mountain located near Caracas. The aircraft was destroyed and both occupants were killed.

Crash of a Lockheed L-188C Electra into the Caribbean Sea: 4 killed

Date & Time: Jun 30, 1977 at 1515 LT
Type of aircraft:
Registration:
N126US
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
San José - Caracas
MSN:
1105
YOM:
1959
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
The four engine airplane departed San José-Juan Santamaría Airport at 1400LT on a cargo flight to Caracas, carrying one passenger, three crew members and a load of 16,330 kilos of frozen meat. While in cruising altitude over the Caribbean Sea, the airplane plunged into the sea in unknown circumstances, about 65 km east of Bocas del Toro, Panama. SAR operations were initiated but eventually suspended few days later as no trace of the airplane nor the four occupants was found.

Crash of a Britten-Norman BN-2A-20 Islander in Caracas

Date & Time: Jun 15, 1977
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
YV-O-MAR-6
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Schedule:
Puerto Cabello - Caracas
MSN:
203
YOM:
1970
Country:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
7
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The twin engine airplane was performing a flight from Puerto Cabello to Caracas on behalf of the Venezuelan Government. While approaching the Francisco de Miranda AFB, both engines failed simultaneously. The pilot reduced his altitude and attempted an emergency landing on a highway located in La Araña, about nine km west of the airport. Upon landing, the airplane struck few cars and came to rest. Four occupants were injured while four others were unhurt. No one was hurt on the ground.
Probable cause:
Double engine failure on approach caused by a fuel exhaustion.

Crash of a Lockheed C-130H Hercules in Lajes: 68 killed

Date & Time: Sep 3, 1976 at 2145 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
7772
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Caracas - Lajes - Barcelone
MSN:
4408
YOM:
1971
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
10
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
58
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
68
Circumstances:
While descending to Lajes Airport, the crew encountered very poor weather conditions and limited visibility due to the night, low clouds and heavy rain falls. On short final, the pilot failed to realize his altitude was too low when the airplane struck the top of a hill located 1,500 metres short of runway 16 threshold and crashed in flames. The aircraft was destroyed and all 68 occupants were killed, among them members of the Venezuelan choir Orfeón Universitario who were flying to Barcelona, Spain, to take part to an international festival. At the time of the accident, weather conditions were poor with heavy rain falls and winds gusting to 30 knots after the hurricane 'Emmy' passed over the Azores Islands that day.

Crash of a Canadair CL-44-6 near Shanisu River: 6 killed

Date & Time: Aug 27, 1976
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
OB-R-1104
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Lima - Caracas
MSN:
12
YOM:
1961
Location:
Country:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
The four engine airplane was completing a cargo flight from Lima to Caracas when it crashed in unknown circumstances in a mountainous and wooded area located near the Shanisu River, about 400 km north of Lima. All six crew members were killed.

Crash of a Douglas DC-9-14 near Maturín: 75 killed

Date & Time: Dec 22, 1974 at 1330 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
YV-C-AVM
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Ciudad Bolivar – Maturín – Caracas
MSN:
47056
YOM:
1966
Flight number:
VE358
Country:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
69
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
75
Circumstances:
Four minutes after takeoff from runway 05 at Maturín-Quiriquire Airport, while climbing to an altitude of 1,500 meters, the airplane went out of control, entered a dive and crashed in a field located about 20 km from the airport. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 75 occupants have been killed.
Probable cause:
The exact cause of the accident could not be determined with certainty. Nevertheless, the assumption that the loss of control was the consequence of an elevator failure was not ruled out.

Crash of a Vickers 749 Viscount in Porlamar: 48 killed

Date & Time: Aug 14, 1974 at 0920 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
YV-C-AMX
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Caracas - Porlamar
MSN:
95
YOM:
1956
Country:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
44
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
48
Circumstances:
While descending to Porlamar-Del Caribe-General en Jefe Santiago Mariño Airport, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with low visibility and heavy rain falls. In accordance with ATC, the crew decided to divert to Cumaná Airport and while completing a turn to change heading, the four engine airplane struck the peak La Gloria located about 10 km northeast of Porlamar Airport. The wreckage was found eight meters below the summit and the copilot, seriously injured, was evacuated to an hospital in Caracas while 47 other occupants were killed. 17 days later, the copilot Ivan Rodolfo Magallanes died from his injuries.
Probable cause:
It is believed that the crew may have lost his orientation during the few seconds preceding impact with the ground, maybe following a malfunction of several instruments whose parameters were probably badly influenced by static electricity accumulated in the stormy weather. At the time of the accident, hurricane 'Alma' was approximately 100 km east of Margarita Island.