Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

De Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide

Site:

Plain, Valley

MSN:

184 238 03

YOM:

1951

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Crashed in unknown circumstances at Mironeasa. The airplane was damaged beyond repair but there were no injuries.

Crash of a De Havilland DH.89A Dragon Rapide in Molegbe

Date & Time: Oct 6, 1960

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

OO-CJT

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Democratic Republic of Congo

Schedule:

Léopoldville – Gbadolite

MSN:

6925

YOM:

1945

Location:

Gbadolite

Nord-Ubangi

Country:

Region:

Africa

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

On approach to Gbadolite Airport, a fuel exhaustion forced the pilot to attempt an emergency landing. The twin engine aircraft crash landed in Molegbe, about 7 km west of the airport and came to rest. All six occupants were rescued while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Probable cause:

Fuel exhaustion.

Crash of a Lockheed L-188A Electra in Boston: 62 killed

Date & Time: Oct 4, 1960 at 1740 LT

Type of aircraft:

Lockheed L-188 Electra

Operator:

Registration:

N5533

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Boston – Philadelphia – Atlanta

MSN:

1062

YOM:

1959

Flight number:

EA375

Location:

Boston

Massachusetts

Country:

United States of America

Region:

North America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

23195

Captain / Total hours on type:

1053.00

Copilot / Total flying hours:

5820

Copilot / Total hours on type:

201

Aircraft flight hours:

3526

Circumstances:

On October 4, 1960, at 1740 e.d.t., an Eastern Air Lines Lockheed Electra, N 5533, crashed into Winthrop Bay immediately following takeoff from runway 9 at Logan International Airport, Boston, Massachusetts. Ten of the 72 persons aboard survived the crash. The aircraft was totally destroyed. A few seconds after becoming airborne, the aircraft struck a flock of starlings. A number of these birds were ingested In engines Nos. 1, 2, and 4. Engine No. 1 was shut down and its propeller was feathered. Nos. 2 and 4 experienced a substantial momentary loss of power. This abrupt and intermittent loss and recovery of power resulted in the aircraft yawing to the left and decelerating to the stall speed. As speed decayed during the continued yaw and skidding left turn, the stall speed was reached; the left wing dropped, the nose pitched up, and the aircraft rolled left into a spin and fell almost vertically into the water. An altitude of less than 150 feet precluded recovery. The Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the unique and critical sequence of the loss and recovery of engine power following bird ingestion, resulting in loss of airspeed and control during takeoff.

Probable cause:

The Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the unique and critical sequence of the loss and recovery of engine power following bird ingestion, resulting in loss of airspeed and control during takeoff.

Final Report:

Crash of a Vickers 739B Viscount off Elba Island: 23 killed

Date & Time: Sep 29, 1960 at 1215 LT

Type of aircraft:

Vickers Viscount

Operator:

Registration:

SU-AKW

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Douglas C-53 Skytrooper (DC-3)

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Geneva – Rome – Athens – Cairo

MSN:

427

YOM:

Flight number:

MS738

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

1230

Aircraft flight cycles:

535

Circumstances:

The four engine aircraft departed Geneva-Cointrin Airport at 1105LT bound for Rome-Fiumicino Airport. While cruising on airway A3 at an altitude of 21,000 feet, the crew requested permission to ATC to modify his route due to the presence of a low pressure area. Permission was granted and the crew modified his route when contact was lost. The airplane entered a dive and crashed into the Ligurian Sea, about 27 km north of Elbe Island. SAR operations were conducted but no trace of the airplane nor the 23 occupants was found. On October 3, tourists on their sailing ship found a wheel floating on water and the Italian Authorities confirmed it was part of the Egyptian airplane. Unfortunately, only few pieces were recovered.

Probable cause:

Due to lack of evidences, the exact cause of the accident could not be determined with certainty. However, it is believed that the loss of control was the result of severe turbulences encountered in a thunderstorm area which caused the failure of certain components of the aircraft and a eventual structural failure.

Crash of a Douglas C-53-DO in Juchitepec: 8 killed

Date & Time: Sep 28, 1960

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

XA-HUS

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Federal District of Mexico City

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Tapachula – Mexico City

MSN:

7388

YOM:

1942

Location:

Juchitepec

Country:

Mexico

Region:

Central America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew encountered thick fog while approaching Mexico City Airport. The airplane struck a hill located near Juchitepec, about 40 km south of Mexico City Airport, and crashed. All three crew members and five passengers were killed while ten other occupants were rescued.

Crash of a Vickers 837 Viscount in Moscow: 31 killed

Date & Time: Sep 26, 1960 at 2140 LT

Type of aircraft:

Vickers Viscount

Operator:

Registration:

OE-LAF

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Vienna – Warsaw – Moscow

MSN:

437

YOM:

1960

Flight number:

OS901

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

2395

Captain / Total hours on type:

1752.00

Copilot / Total flying hours:

2088

Copilot / Total hours on type:

458

Aircraft flight hours:

1272

Aircraft flight cycles:

872

Circumstances:

The approach to Moscow-Sheremetyevo Airport was completed by night and in poor weather conditions. After its four turn on approach, the crew continued the descent below the glide when the airplane struck trees and crashed in a wooded area located 11 km short of runway 07. The aircraft was destroyed, five crew members and 26 passengers were killed while six other occupants were seriously injured. At the time of the accident, the visibility was limited due to the night, foggy conditions and rain falls.

Probable cause:

The investigations revealed that there were no technical deficiencies in the aircraft itself or a meteorological phenomenon involved in the accident. The Austrian observers participating in the investigation of the accident were of the opinion that the accident was related to altitude measurement, inasmuch as it was apparent from radio communications as well as from the examination of the wreckage that that the crew believed that they were flying at the normal approach altitude. The erroneous altitude measurement may be attributed to:
- A technical deficiency of either of the two altimeters,
- The divergent settings of the altimeters or,
- Omission of altimeter reading or erroneous reading of altimeters.
The internal mechanism of both altimeters was so heavily damaged that it could no longer be ascertained whether, at the time of the accident, the altimeters were functioning accurately. Both altimeters were set to the correct atmospheric pressure but their settings differed, namely the left altimeter was set at QFE 990 millibars and the right altimeter at 1013 millibars, which in view of the prevailing atmospheric pressure conditions, could have corresponded both to QNH and to the standard pressure setting. Such divergent settings are at variance with the usual procedure of Austrian Airlines. The reasons prompting the flight captain to depart from the usual practice could not be ascertained. It was not possible to reach a categorical conclusion as to which of the three causes were responsible for an approach below the minimum flying altitude.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-14P in Brest: 1 killed

Date & Time: Sep 26, 1960

Type of aircraft:

Ilyushin II-14

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-41866

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Moscow – Moguilev – Minsk – Brest

MSN:

1460 007 04

YOM:

1956

Flight number:

SU607

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

6363

Circumstances:

The airplane departed Minsk Airport at 1245LT bound for Brest. While cruising at an altitude of 9,000 feet, the crew noted that the oil temperature on the right engine increased while the temperature of the second breech dropped. In such situation, the captain decided to shot down the right engine, feathered its propeller and continued to Brest. At 1405LT, he notified his situation to ATC and started the descent to Brest Airport in marginal weather conditions. On final approach, at an altitude of 40 meters, the undercarriage and flaps were lowered when the captain was instructed to go around. For unknown reason, he continued the approach and the right main gear touched down 390 meters past the runway threshold. The left main gear touched down 73 meters farther and after a course of 930 meters, the airplane overran and collided with the ILS antenna before coming to rest in flames. All 21 passengers were injured while five crew members were seriously wounded. The board mechanic died from his injuries five hours later. The aircraft was destroyed.

Probable cause:

The right engine has to be shut down in flight because of the failure of the second cylinder due to a manufacture defect. Following poor techniques on part of the captain, the approach configuration on one engine was wrong and the third turn on final was completed too late. Marginal weather conditions, a wet runway surface and a limited visibility were considered as contributing factors.

Crash of a Lockheed L-188A Electra in LaGuardia

Date & Time: Sep 14, 1960 at 0800 LT

Type of aircraft:

Lockheed L-188 Electra

Operator:

Registration:

N6127A

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Boston – New York – Saint Louis

MSN:

1117

YOM:

1960

Flight number:

AA361

Location:

New York-LaGuardia

New York

Country:

United States of America

Region:

North America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

14082

Captain / Total hours on type:

279.00

Copilot / Total flying hours:

18310

Copilot / Total hours on type:

460

Aircraft flight hours:

1573

Circumstances:

The Electra scheduled as Flight 361 departed Boston at 0716LT with its destination St Louis, Missouri, and with a planned intermediate stop at LaGuardia Airport. About ten minutes prior to departure a crew change was made when a check pilot boarded the aircraft to flight-check the flight engineer. This check pilot, by mutual agreement with the crew and in accordance with existing company policy, took over the left or pilot-in-command seat with the previously assigned captain moving to the jump seat. The trip was routine until final approach at LaGuardia. On final approach, the airplane aircraft was too low and struck a dyke with its main landing gear and crash landed. Approximately half of the 76 persons on board suffered minor injuries or shock; no one was killed. The aircraft was severely damaged by impact forces and fire.

Probable cause:

The Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the failure of the pilot to properly plan and execute the approach to a landing. Factors which may have contributed were the shortened runway and the unmarked upper portion of the dike.

Final Report:

Crash of a Douglas DC-6 near Salto: 31 killed

Date & Time: Sep 7, 1960 at 0940 LT

Type of aircraft:

Douglas DC-6

Operator:

Registration:

LV-ADS

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type: