Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3) | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

Enroute from Livingston to Jo'burg-Palmietfontein Airport, the crew encountered poor weather conditions and the pilot-in-command lost his orientation. In low visibility, the captain decided to divert to Carolina Airport but on final, the aircraft was too low and hit a rock and crashed 2 km short of runway. All 19 occupants evacuated safely while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Probable cause:

The primary cause of the accident was a faulty navigation on part of the Captain of the airplane inasmuch as he set off on an incorrect course and thereafter his visual identification of towns en route was incorrect and based purely on assumptions. Had he checked his assumed ground speed between what he assumed to be Mahalapye and Warmbaths he would have found this to be approximately 318 mph which check would have alerted him. The secondary cause of the accident was the failure of those responsible to alert Pietersburg Aeradio Station and Beacon and the excessive degree of radio interference on the Rand on the evening of 15 September due to electrical storms. The tertiary cause was an attempted landing on a unidentified and unlighted aerodrome, of which the altitude was not known. Thereafter in a low approach the wheels of the airplane struck a rock outcrop approximately 1-1/4 miles from the airfield.

Final Report:

Crash of a Douglas C-47B-1-DL in Kolwezi

Date & Time: Sep 13, 1952

Type of aircraft:

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

Operator:

Registration:

KT-2

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Military

Site:

Plain, Valley

MSN:

20741

YOM:

1944

Location:

Kolwezi

Lualaba

Country:

Democratic Republic of Congo

Region:

Africa

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Crashed in unknown circumstances.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-85-DL near Narsarsuaq

Date & Time: Sep 5, 1952

Type of aircraft:

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

Operator:

Registration:

43-15599

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

20065

YOM:

1944

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The aircraft ran out of fuel, forcing the crew to attempt an emergency landing. The aircraft belly landed about 16 km west of Narsarsuaq. There were no casualties but the aircraft was written off.

Probable cause:

Fuel exhaustion.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-80-DL in Loisy

Date & Time: Aug 28, 1952

Type of aircraft:

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

Operator:

Registration:

43-15045

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

19511

YOM:

1944

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

An engine failed en route, forcing the crew to attempt an emergency landing. The aircraft crash landed in a field located in Loisy and came to rest. There were no casualties but the airplane was written off.

Probable cause:

Engine failure.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-30-DK in Suwon

Date & Time: Aug 20, 1952

Type of aircraft:

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

Operator:

Registration:

43-48077

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

13893/25338

YOM:

1944

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

En route, the aircraft suffered a double engine failure. All occupants bailed out and abandoned the aircraft that crashed near Suwon. There were no casualties but the aircraft was destroyed.

Probable cause:

Double engine failure.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-90-DL in Guaíra

Date & Time: Aug 15, 1952

Type of aircraft:

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

Operator:

Viaçao Aéreo Santos Dumont

Registration:

PP-SDD

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Rio de Janeiro – Asunción

MSN:

20435

YOM:

1944

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

En route, the weather conditions worsened and the crew lost his orientation. As he was unable to continue to Asunción, the captain obtained the permission to divert to Guaíra for an emergency landing. On approach in poor weather conditions, the aircraft crashed in a field and came to rest upside down. There were no casualties but the aircraft was written off.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the accident was caused by the combination of the following factors:
- Poor weather conditions,
- Lack of radio aids in the area,
- Error on the part of the pilot who lost his orientation in marginal weather conditions and decided to land in hurried conditions,
- Poor flight preparation on part of the Operator,
- Failure of the Area Control Center (ACC) who validated an incorrect flight plan.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-90-DL in Palmeira de Goiás: 24 killed

Date & Time: Aug 12, 1952 at 0940 LT

Type of aircraft:

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

Operator:

Registration:

PP-ANH

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Jataí – Rio Verde – Goiânia – Uberlândia – Rio de Janeiro

MSN:

20187

YOM:

1944

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

On the leg from Rio Verde to Goiânia, the crew informed ground that a fire erupted in the cabin and the captain decided to divert to Palmeira de Goiás for a safe landing. The crew tried several times to extinguish the fire but without success. Eventually, the pilot-in-command reduced his altitude in an attempt to make an emergency landing when, at a height of about 20 meters, the airplane exploded in the air and crashed few km from the airport of Palmeira de Goiás. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 24 occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

Investigators arrived on scene two days after the crash and confirmed that the wreckage was looted by locals. Due to the absence of evidence, it was very difficult to establish the exact cause of the accident. Nevertheless, it is believed upon the testimony of several eyewitnesses that a fire erupted in the rear of the cabin and not in the fuel tanks located in the wings. It is possible that the fire was caused by inflammable materials stored in the bagage compartment. The fact that the aircraft was not equipped with fire detectors was considered as a contributory factor as it took time for the crew to analyse and understand the situation.