Crash of a Douglas C-47D in Gunsan

Date & Time: Mar 3, 1954
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
44-76639
Flight Type:
Military
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
MSN:
16223/32971
YOM:
1945
Location:
Gunsan
North Jeolla (전라북도)
Country:
South Korea
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Crashed in unknown circumstances at Gunsan Airfield. The crew fate remains unknown.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-90-DL in New Delhi: 3 killed

Date & Time: Feb 25, 1954 at 1100 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
VT-ATU
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Test
Survivors:
No
Site:
City
Schedule:
New Delhi - New Delhi
MSN:
20358
YOM:
1944
Location:
New Delhi-Safdarjung
National Capital Territory of Delhi
Country:
India
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
The crew was completing a local test flight out from New Delhi-Safdarjung Airport, a mission that was part of the official investigations from the Indian Civil Aviation Authorities following the crash of a C-47 at Nagpur on 12 December 1953. On approach to Safdarjung Airport, the aircraft went out of control and crashed in the district of Jammu Bridge, near the airfield. While nobody on the ground was injured, all three crew members were killed.

Crash of a Douglas C-47D near Narsarsuaq

Date & Time: Feb 22, 1954
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
43-16252
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Site:
Plain, Valley
MSN:
20718
YOM:
1944
Location:
Narsarsuaq
Kommune Kujalleq
Country:
Greenland
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Crashed in unknown circumstances some 56 km northeast of Narsarsuaq. Occupant fate remains unknown.

Crash of a Douglas C-47 in Peru: 8 killed

Date & Time: Feb 11, 1954
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Puerto Inca – San Ramon
Location:
Peru
All Peru
Country:
Peru
Region:
South America
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
8
Circumstances:
Crashed in unknown circumstances while performing a flight from Puerto Inca to San Ramon. No trace of the aircraft nor the eight crew members was found.

Crash of a Douglas C-47-DL in Medellín: 2 killed

Date & Time: Feb 9, 1954
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
HK-167
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Cargo
Survivors:
No
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
MSN:
4272
YOM:
1942
Location:
Medellín-José María Córdova (Rionegro)
Antioquia
Country:
Colombia
Region:
South America
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
During initial climb, the airplane went out of control and crashed few km from the airfield, killing both pilots.

Crash of a Douglas C-47D near Curry: 10 killed

Date & Time: Feb 5, 1954
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
45-0895
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Fort Wainwright - Elmendorf
MSN:
16898/34155
YOM:
1945
Location:
Curry
Alaska
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
13
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
10
Circumstances:
While flying in freezing rain, the airplane crashed on the slope of a mountain located about 20 miles north of Curry, in the Denali National Park. Six occupants were rescued while ten others were killed.

Crash of a Douglas C-47 at Apiay AFB: 5 killed

Date & Time: Jan 31, 1954 at 1800 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
FAC-674
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Orocué – Apiay
Location:
Apiay AFB (Villavicencio)
Meta
Country:
Colombia
Region:
South America
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
13
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
On final approach to Apiay AFB, while completing a last turn, the airplane stalled and crashed in a field. Both pilots and three passengers were killed while eleven other occupants were injured.
Those killed were:
2nd Lt Jorge Roa Gómez, copilot,
T/Sgt Agustin Valdés Rengifo,
Mrs. Valdés Rengifo,
Ismael Germán y Hugo Falla Bernal,
Jaime Falla Diaz.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-25-DK in Điện Biên Phủ

Date & Time: Jan 31, 1954
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
F-BGXD
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
MSN:
13312
YOM:
1944
Location:
Điện Biên Phủ
Điện Biên Province
Country:
Vietnam
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
During the takeoff roll, one of the pilot mistakenly raised the landing gear before the aircraft had taken off. It sank on its belly and slid for dozen yards before coming to rest. There were no injuries but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
Inadvertent retraction of the undercarriage prior to takeoff.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-10-DK in Beirut

Date & Time: Jan 24, 1954 at 0856 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
F-BEFS
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Delivery
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Paris – Brindisi – Nicosia – Basra – Hanoi
MSN:
12416
YOM:
1944
Location:
Beirut
Beirut Governorate
Country:
Lebanon
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The aircraft, belonging to the Compagnie Autrex-Lopez-Loreta-Lebreton, was on a delivery flight from Paris to Hanoi. It departed from Paris on 22 January 1954 at 0650Z and arrived at Brindisi the same day at 1305Z. The following day the aircraft left Brindisi at 0720Z and landed at Nicosia at 1330Z. From Nicosia the aircraft intended to fly to Basra, but a failure in the HF radio equipment caused a change in the schedule, and it was decided to fly to Beirut where specialists and the spare parts necessary for the repair were available. On final approach by night, the aircraft was too low when, at a speed of 105 knots, it struck a mound of earth located 85 feet short of runway 36, damaging the right mains gear. The aircraft subsequently landed on the runway when the undercarriage collapsed. There were no injuries but the airplane was damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
The accident was attributed to a pilot error due to lack of knowledge of the terrain. The existence of the mound was only an aggravating circumstance. The failure of the right landing gear may be explained by the excessive landing weight of the aircraft. The main cause of the accident was probably an unduly short landing which, in view of the length of the runway and the perfect condition of the aircraft, was unwarranted and must, therefore, be ascribed mainly to error on the part of the pilot, due largely to his lack of familiarity with the terrain. The pilot had never landed at the Beirut International Airport. The faulty altimeter setting was possibly an additional reason for the defective approach. Also, restricted visibility prevented the pilot from seeing the mound and taking appropriate action to avoid a crash. The presence of the mound at 26.60 meters from the runway entrance was a contributing factor. Since this mound was 78 cm high, the variation in level was 3%.
Final Report:

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-1-DK in Prague: 13 killed

Date & Time: Jan 12, 1954 at 1355 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
OK-WDS
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Prague – Ostrava
MSN:
11854
YOM:
1943
Location:
Prague-Ruzyne
Prague (Hlavní mesto Praha)
Country:
Czech Republic
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
14
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
13
Circumstances:
After a takeoff roll of 900 meters on runway 22, the pilot-in-command initiated the rotation. While climbing to a height of about 50 feet in a horizontal visibility of about 100 meters, the crew sighted the chimney and the pilot made a sharp turn to the left to avoid a collision. Doing so, the airplane hit a telephone pole and telegraphic cables, stalled and crashed in flames in a snow covered field located about one km south of the airfield. All four crew members and nine passengers were killed while five other passengers were rescued. The aircraft was destroyed.
Crew:
Jan House, pilot,
Jiří Levý, copilot,
Milroslav Kalenda, radio operator,
Milroslav Häusler, flight engineer.
Probable cause:
No mechanical failure was reported on the airplane prior to the accident. At that time, the cloud base was about 200 meters above ground with a horizontal visibility of 100 meters in snow falls. The takeoff roll was completed on runway 22 that was covered with a layer of 5 to 10 cm of wet snow. The accident was the consequence of poor flying techniques on part of the pilot-in-command during initial climb.
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