Crash of a De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter 200 near El Bolsón: 6 killed

Date & Time: Aug 7, 1977 at 1630 LT
Type of aircraft:
De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter
Operator:
Registration:
T-87
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
San Carlos de Bariloche – El Bolsón – Comodoro Rivadavia – Río Gallegos
MSN:
230
YOM:
1969
Location:
El Bolsón
Río Negro
Country:
Argentina
Region:
South America
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
The twin engine airplane departed San Carlos de Bariloche Airport at 1534LT on a flight to Río Gallegos with intermediate stops in El Bolsón and Comodoro Rivadavia. It was carrying a crew of four and two passengers, Mr. Ulderico Carnaghi, Governor of the Santa Cruz Province and his wife who just attended the 7th Snow Festival in san Carlos de Bariloche and were flying back to Patagonia. While descending to El Bolsón Airport, the crew encountered poor weather conditions when the airplane struck the slope of Mt Paleta located 18 km north of El Bolsón. The wreckage was found four days later at an altitude of 1,995 meters. The aircraft was destroyed and all six occupants were killed.
Crew:
Juan Carlos García, pilot,
Jorge Manuel Alvarez, copilot,
José Medina, mechanic,
Oscar M. Lazo, steward.
Passengers:
Mr. & Mrs. Ulderico Carnaghi.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain.

Crash of a Beechcraft E90 King Air in Sitka: 5 killed

Date & Time: Jul 31, 1977 at 0130 LT
Type of aircraft:
Beechcraft 90 King Air
Operator:
NSD Corporation
Registration:
N4207S
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Private
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
King Salmon - Sitka
MSN:
LW-207
YOM:
1977
Location:
Sitka
Alaska
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
4
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Captain / Total flying hours:
2800
Captain / Total hours on type:
20.00
Circumstances:
While descending to Sitka in limited visibility, the twin engine airplane struck a mountain and crashed few miles from the destination. The aircraft was destroyed upon impact and all five occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain on final approach. The following contributing factors were reported:
- Improper IFR operation,
- Lack of familiarity with aircraft,
- Mountains adjacent to Sitka obscured.
Final Report:

Crash of a Fairchild C-123K Provider on Mt Ban Maetab: 6 killed

Date & Time: Jul 29, 1977
Type of aircraft:
Fairchild C-123 Provider
Operator:
Registration:
L4K-3/16
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
MSN:
20075
YOM:
1954
Location:
Mt Ban Maetab
Lampang (ลำปาง)
Country:
Thailand
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Aircraft flight hours:
10735
Circumstances:
In unknown circumstances, the airplane struck Mt Ban Maetab and was destroyed. All six crew members were killed.

Crash of a Douglas C-47-DL in Yoro: 25 killed

Date & Time: Jul 25, 1977 at 0800 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
301
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Yoro - Tegucigalpa
MSN:
6096
YOM:
1942
Location:
Yoro
Yoro
Country:
Honduras
Region:
Central America
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
36
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
25
Circumstances:
During initial climb, the left engine failed and caught fire. Control was lost and the airplane crashed in a mountainous terrain located few km from the airport. 25 occupants were killed while 15 others were injured. All passengers were employees of local companies travelling with family members.
Probable cause:
Failure of the left engine during initial climb.

Crash of an Antonov AN-12BP in Beirut: 9 killed

Date & Time: May 13, 1977 at 0845 LT
Type of aircraft:
Antonov AN-12
Operator:
Registration:
SP-LZA
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Cargo
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Warsaw - Varna - Beirut
MSN:
6 3 443 07
YOM:
1966
Location:
Beirut
Beirut Governorate
Country:
Lebanon
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
9
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
9
Circumstances:
The aircraft was completing a cargo flight from Warsaw to Beirut with an intermediate stop in Varna, carrying a crew of nine and a load of frozen meat. While approaching Beirut at an altitude of 2,100 feet, the four engine airplane struck power cables and crashed on rocky terraces located 8 km from runway 21 threshold. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all nine occupants were killed. It was reported that ATC transmitted several instructions to the crew that failed to respond, maybe due to language issues.

Crash of a Britten-Norman BN-2A-21 Islander near Curitiba: 1 killed

Date & Time: May 12, 1977
Type of aircraft:
Britten-Norman Islander
Operator:
Geofoto
Registration:
PT-KUO
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Positioning
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
MSN:
512
YOM:
1977
Location:
Curitiba
Paraná
Country:
Brazil
Region:
South America
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Circumstances:
While cruising in poor weather conditions, the twin engine airplane struck the slope of a mountain located in the region of Curitiba. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

Crash of a Douglas DC-3A-438 in Saliente del Rio Guape: 35 killed

Date & Time: Apr 10, 1977
Type of aircraft:
Douglas DC-3
Operator:
Registration:
HK-556
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Uribe - Bogotá
MSN:
4958
YOM:
1942
Location:
Saliente del Rio Guape
Meta
Country:
Colombia
Region:
South America
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
31
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
35
Circumstances:
En route from Uribe to Bogotá-El Dorado Airport, while cruising by night, the airplane struck the slope of a mountain located in the region of Saliente del Rio Guape. As the aircraft failed to arrive at Bogotá, SAR operations were initiated but eventually suspend few days later as no trace of the aircraft nor the 35 occupants was found. The wreckage was found 35 days later on the slope of Mt Guape, at an altitude of 2,200 meters. The aircraft was destroyed upon impact and all 35 occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
For unknown reasons, the airplane was not following the proper track to Bogotá. Lack of visibility was considered as a contributing factor.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-25-DK in Edavlli: 10 killed

Date & Time: Apr 5, 1977 at 0720 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
VT-EEL
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
MSN:
13290
YOM:
1944
Location:
Edavlli
Andhra Pradesh
Country:
India
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
5
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
10
Circumstances:
The aircraft was engaged on an aerial survey sortie in the foothills East of Velikonda range in Andhra Pradesh, India. According to the eye-witnesses and the weather information, the prevailing weather conditions over the survey region during the period were 'Cloudy weather with cloud base varying from 600 m to 750 m'. It was quite probable that the cloud base was still lower over the particular area, covering the hill tops. The pilot who was flying at an altitude of 2,000 feet when he arrived at the survey area, most probably took a left-hand turn circumventing the highest peak in the area (Nisam Konda 2,181 feet high) and then started to descend with the aim to get below the cloud base for visual flight. During the process, the pilot did not see a jutting out rock face on the adjacent hill, Podille Konda, which probably was obscured by a patch of low cloud. The aircraft collided with the rock face and caught fire.
Probable cause:
The cause of the accident was attributed to collision of the aircraft with a jutting rock on the top of a hill which was not noticed by the pilot in time to take evasive action as it was probably obscured by a patch of low lying cloud.

Crash of a De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver in Springbok: 3 killed

Date & Time: Mar 30, 1977
Type of aircraft:
De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver
Operator:
Registration:
ZS-CMI
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Geographical / Geophysical / Scientific
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
MSN:
1418
YOM:
1960
Location:
Springbok
Northern Cape
Country:
South Africa
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
Crashed in unknown circumstances in a rocky and mountainous area located near Springbok. All three occupants were killed.

Crash of a De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 in the Bainaha Valley: 13 killed

Date & Time: Mar 29, 1977
Type of aircraft:
De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter
Operator:
Registration:
PK-NUP
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Palu - Tolitoli
MSN:
486
YOM:
1976
Location:
Bainaha Valley
Central Sulawesi
Country:
Indonesia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
20
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
13
Circumstances:
The airplane departed Palu-Mutiara Airport on a charter flight to Tolitoli, carrying tourists. En route, the crew descended from 9,000 to 5,000 feet to offer a better view of the area to the passengers when the pilot realized he was facing a mountain. He elected to gain height but the aircraft struck tree tops located on the top of a cliff then stalled and crashed into a ravine. The wreckage was found few hours later. A crew member and nine passengers were rescued while 13 other occupants including both pilots were killed.
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