Crash of a Junkers JU.90V2 in Bathurst: 12 killed

Date & Time: Nov 26, 1938 at 1520 LT
Type of aircraft:
Junkers JU.90
Operator:
Registration:
D-AIVI
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Buenos Aires – Rio de Janeiro – Natal – Bathurst – Dakar – Las Palmas – Marseille – Francfort
MSN:
4914
YOM:
1937
Location:
Banjul
Banjul City District
Country:
Gambia
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
12
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
12
Circumstances:
Shortly after take off from Bathurst Airport, while in initial climb, both left engines failed simultaneously. The aircraft named 'Preussen' stalled, collided with a palm and crashed, bursting into flames. Three passengers were seriously injured and 12 other occupants were killed.
Crew:
Robert Untucht, pilot,
Joachim Blankenburg, pilot.
Probable cause:
Double engine failure shortly after rotation.

Crash of a Savoia-Marchetti SM.75C in Winklern: 4 killed

Date & Time: Nov 22, 1938
Type of aircraft:
Savoia-Marchetti SM.75
Operator:
Registration:
I-TUON
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Munich – Rome
MSN:
32017
YOM:
1938
Location:
Winklern
Carinthia
Country:
Austria
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
While cruising in bad weather conditions, the aircraft impacte the slope of a mountain shrouded in clouds and located near Winklern. A crew member was seriously injured while four other occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain. It it believed that the aircraft drifted off course due to strong winds, and the crew was unable to the faulty heading due to poor visibility.

Crash of a Fokker Super Universal in Disappointment Inlet

Date & Time: Nov 17, 1938
Type of aircraft:
Fokker Super Universal
Operator:
Registration:
G-CASQ
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
MSN:
824
YOM:
1929
Location:
Disappointment Inlet
British Columbia
Country:
Canada
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
En route, weather conditions worsened and the pilot decided to attempt an emergency landing. In snow falls, the aircraft hit the ground, lost its undercarriage and came to rest. There were no casualties and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Bloch M.B.120 near Coquilhatville

Date & Time: Nov 16, 1938
Type of aircraft:
Bloch MB.120
Operator:
Registration:
F-ANNX
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Algiers – Antananarivo
MSN:
05
YOM:
1934
Location:
Mbandaka
Équateur
Country:
Democratic Republic of Congo
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
While approaching Coquilhatville (now Mbandaka) from the north, the three engine aircraft named 'Sirius' crashed in unknown circumstances on an island located on the River Congo, some 40 km north of Coquilhatville. All three crew members were rescued and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Douglas DC-3-194D in Amsterdam: 6 killed

Date & Time: Nov 14, 1938 at 1841 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas DC-3
Operator:
Registration:
PH-ARY
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Berlin – Amsterdam
MSN:
2021
YOM:
1938
Location:
Amsterdam-Schiphol
North Holland
Country:
Netherlands
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
14
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
On approach to Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport at night, the aircraft named 'Ijsvogel' impacted the ground at full power, slid for 125 metres and came to rest across a ditch. The aircraft was destroyed. Four crew members and two passengers were killed while 13 other occupants were injured.
Crew:
J. J. E. Duimelaar, pilot, †
A. van Gemeren, copilot, †
A. J. van Huut, engineer, †
C. J. W. Surber, radio operator, †
B. Eys, steward.
Passengers:
R. G. Clyman,
W. A. Fairclough,
L. St. C. Ingrams,
J. Miller,
M. Schneider Desnitzky-Kirchbach, †
A. Silberstein,
M. Silberstein,
I. V. Weideman,
P. O. H. Weideman,
B. Weideman-Marx, †
F. Winter,
M. Winter,
F. Zimmerman.
Probable cause:
Investigations were unable to determine the exact cause of the accident. No evidence was found of any preimpact mechanical failure and the weather conditions were not considered as a contributory factor. The crash may have been caused by a crew 'error'.

Crash of a Fokker Super Universal in Carcross

Date & Time: Nov 7, 1938
Type of aircraft:
Fokker Super Universal
Operator:
Northern Airways
Registration:
CF-ATJ
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
MSN:
853
YOM:
1932
Location:
Carcross
Yukon
Country:
Canada
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff, while climbing, the float plane impacted a tree and crashed. There were no casualties.

Crash of a De Havilland DH.86 Express in Jersey: 14 killed

Date & Time: Nov 4, 1938 at 1050 LT
Type of aircraft:
De Havilland DH.86 Express
Operator:
Registration:
G-ACZN
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Jersey – Southampton
MSN:
2316
YOM:
1934
Location:
Jersey
Channel Islands
Country:
United Kingdom
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
12
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
14
Circumstances:
Less than a minute after takeoff from Jersey-States Airport, while climbing to a height of 120 feet, the twin engine aircraft named 'Saint Catherines Bay' entered clouds when the pilot initiated a turn to the left. The aircraft slid then stalled and crashed in an open field located 500 yards from the airport, bursting into flames. All 13 occupants were killed as well as a farmer who was working his field.
Probable cause:
It is believed that the pilot had allowed the De Havilland to fall into a side-slip while climbing through a low overcast, and at an insufficient altitude for him to regain control. The aircraft was seen to emerge from the cloud base at a height of around 120 feet and plunge to earth, and after impact it slid across the ground until it struck a solid earth bank, whereupon it burst into flames.

Crash of a Polikarpov P-5 near Kokpekty: 2 killed

Date & Time: Nov 4, 1938
Type of aircraft:
Polikarpov P-5
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L1622
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Zaysan – Kokpekty – Semipalatinsk
MSN:
9196
YOM:
1934
Location:
Kokpekty
East Kazakhstan
Country:
Kazakhstan
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
The pilot departed Kokpekty without any information about weather conditions. Few minutes after takeoff, he entered an area of snow falls and his decision to fly back was taken too late. While approaching Kokpekty at an insufficient altitude, he saw a hill and initiated a turn when the airplane crashed. The pilot was seriously injured and both passengers were killed.
Probable cause:
The decision of the pilot to leave Kokpekty without accurate weather information and later to fly at a too low altitude in poor visibility.

Crash of a Douglas DC-2-210 in Mont Dandenong: 18 killed

Date & Time: Oct 25, 1938 at 1345 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas DC-2
Operator:
Registration:
VH-UYC
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Adelaide – Melbourne
MSN:
1566
YOM:
1937
Location:
Mont Dandenong
Victoria
Country:
Australia
Region:
Oceania
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
14
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
18
Circumstances:
While descending to Melbourne, the crew lost his orientation and was unable to locate the airport of Essendon. The pilot continued the descent and the aircraft named 'Kyeema' went through a thick layer of cloud when it impacted trees and crashed in a wooded and hilly terrain located in Mont Dandenong, some 40 km east of Essendon Airport. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and all 18 occupants were killed.
Crew:
A. C. Webb, pilot,
A. J. Steen, copilot,
Phillip Pring, pilot, acting as radio operator,
Elva Jones, stewardess,
Probable cause:
The following deficiencies were identified as contributing to the accident:
1) The aircraft’s navigational log was either not kept or had not been properly utilized during the latter part of the flight, as required by the carrier;
2) The company’s procedure for descent through an overcast into this airport was not adopted, and
3) A request for a bearing from the aircraft was not received by the radio operator at the airport nor logged at any other operating station. Also noted in the investigative report was the lack in Australia of an ultra-high frequency (UHF) beacon network, and indeed, the crash of VH-UYC would prove pivotal in the development of the nation’s airway system.
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