Date & Time: Dec 22, 1974 at 1330 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas DC-9
Operator:
Registration:
YV-C-AVM
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Ciudad Bolivar – Maturín – Caracas
MSN:
47056
YOM:
1966
Flight number:
VE358
Country:
Venezuela
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
6
Pax on board:
69
Pax fatalities:
69
Other fatalities:
0
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.