Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

The aircraft left São Paulo-Congonhas Airport in the morning on a flight to Londrina with an intermediate stop in Jacarezinho. En route, the on board ADF system failed and the captain (aged 23) decided to return to Congonhas. But the operations forced the crew to continue the flight. Few minutes later, weather conditions worsened and the visibility was very bad due to low clouds and heavy rain falls. While cruising at an insufficient altitude, the aircraft hit the slope of the Serra dos Ruvina located near Ribeirão Claro. Two passengers, a woman and her kid aged 5 were rescued while all 20 other occupants were killed.

En route, the twin engine aircraft was shot down and crashed near Đông Khê, killing all 10 occupants. The origine of the fire remains unknown.

Few minutes after takeoff, while climbing to an altitude of 2,000 feet in marginal weather conditions, the aircraft hit the slope of a mountain located in the north part of the Cordillera Oriental. All 12 occupants were killed.

The aircraft was flying from Tunis to Oslo via Brussels, carrying 28 Jewish children from Tunisia on their way to Norway, as an intermediary stop before making aliyah, the return to Israel. After passing The Netherlands, the crew continued at an altitude of 3,000 feet and was informed that weather conditions at destination was considered as good with a visibility of 12 km under the cloud layer. Approaching Oslo from the south at 1650LT, the crew requested a QDM bearing that was transmitted by ATC three minutes later. Despite the presence of several clouds layers and poor visibility, the crew continued the approach and reduced his altitude when the aircraft hit the slope of a hill and crashed in a wooded area located about 8 km north of Tofte, some 32 km south of Fornebu Airport. As all radio transmissions were interrupted and the aircraft failed to arrive, SAR operations were conducted but the rescuers found the wreckage two days later only. On site, a young boy aged 12 was found alive and transferred to a hospital in Oslo while all 34 other occupants were killed.

Due to snow conditions the flight was delayed at Dunkirk for several hours. During this time the crew obtained weather information and had the aircraft serviced with 230 gallons of fuel. Two known attempts to take off from Dunkirk were made, at 0215, and at 0405 but these were discontinued after a short take-off run because of the accumulation of snow on the aircraft. This snow had accumulated during the time the aircraft was on the ground. A special weather forecast requested from New York and delivered to the crew at 0355, predicted that between Dunkirk and Detroit ceilings would be 3,000 to 4,000 feet MSL, visibility seven miles or more, and that there would be icing in the clouds. At 0808, Captain Dede filed with Cleveland Air Route Traffic Control an IFR flight plan which described a route to Detroit by way of Clear Creek, Canada, at an altitude of 4,000 feet, with Cleveland, Ohio, being designated as the alternate airport. Twenty-nine minutes later, at 0837, the flight took off from Dunkirk. There was sufficient fuel aboard to fly three hours and 40 minutes, and the computed elapsed time to Detroit was one hour and 50 minutes. At this time the total gross weight of the aircraft was 27,050 pounds which was 150 pounds above the allowable limit. Routine progress reports were mad, by the flight when over Clear Creek and Windsor, Canada, and at 0954, Detroit Air Route Traffic Control cleared the flight to contact Detroit City Airport Approach Control Instructions were given the flight by Approach Control and Runway 25 was designated as the runway in use. The flight was also advised that the visibility, restricted by snow showers and smoke, was one mile, and that the surface wind was 15 miles per hour from the southwest. The Detroit City Airport tower controller first observed the aircraft one mile east southeast of the airport with its landing gear down, flying on an approximate heading of 300 degrees and at an altitude estimated to be 700 feet above the ground. When the flight was almost over the field, it requested permission to make a left circle of the air port before landing. Clearance to do this was granted and again the flight was instructed to land on Runway 25. The flight passed directly over the airport, turned left and then flew on an easterly heading until it was approximately three quarters of a mile east of the approach end of the runway. Here it was seen to make a steep left turn and change direction approximately 180 degrees. Although the aircraft straightened out from this turn, it continued to lose altitude until it struck the chimney of a house in a residential district of Detroit approximately 3,200 feet east of the airport. The aircraft then struck and demolished a second house approximately 45 feet west of the first house. Fire developed which partially destroyed the aircraft. Both pilots and one person on the ground were killed.

After touchdown in Yangon-Mingaladon Airport, the aircraft was unable to stop within the remaining distance. It overran and came to rest. There were no casualties but the aircraft damaged beyond repair.

Crash landed in Lanywa. Crew fate unknown.

Crashed in unknown circumstances in a mountainous area located in the southern Yunnan, near the Vietnamese border. The occupant fate remains unknown.

The aircraft departed from the North Philadelphia Airport, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at 1846, November 4, 1949, for Cleveland. A flight plan was then filed with Philadelphia ATC which specified that the flight proceed from Philadelphia to Allentown according to Visual Flight Rules, and from Allentown to Cleveland according to Instrument Flight Rules at a cruising altitude of 4,000 feet Mansfield, Ohio, was designated as the alternate airport. At the time of takeoff, the aircraft carried 3,000 pounds of fuel and 4,878 pounds of cargo, Total aircraft weight was 24,800 pounds which was within the allowable limit, and the load was so distributed that the aircraft's center of gravity was within the certificated limits. The flight was routine until it reported over Youngstown, Ohio, at 2100, at which time a new flight plan was filed with Cleveland ATC because the Cleveland weather was below the authorized landing minimums and also because freezing rain was forecast at the time of the flight's arrival. The destination was changed to Akron, and Toledo Ohio, was designated as the alternate. At 2114 the flight reported to the Akron-Canton Tower estimating arrival over the Akron Range Station at 2117 at 4,500 feet and the tower issued approach clearance. At 2118 the flight reported over the Akron Range Station Five minutes later, at 2123, the flight reported outbound at 2,500 feet over the outer marker, 4 3 miles south of Runway 36. The tower, at 2128, transmitted to the flight the 2125 Akron-Canton weather as follows. At 2132, the flight reported inbound at 2,500 feet over the outer marker and was cleared to land on Runway 36. This was the last radio contact with the flight Approximately two minutes later the aircraft crashed south of the airport. The wreckage was found 3,250 feet south of the runway 36 threshold and 880 feet east of the center line. All three crew members were killed.
Crew:
James R. Harrington, pilot,
John E. Franklin, copilot,
Robert S. Yarano, crew chief.

Crashed in unknown circumstances.