Crash of a Douglas C-47A-80-DL in Manizales: 23 killed

Date & Time: Jan 11, 1954 at 0615 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
HK-160
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Medellín – Armenia
MSN:
19540
YOM:
1944
Location:
Manizales
Caldas
Country:
Colombia
Region:
South America
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
19
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
23
Circumstances:
At 0600LT, the crew started the descent to Armenia Airport but was instructed by ATC to divert to Manizales due to poor weather at destination. The crew modified his route and diverted to Manizales Airport located about 60 km north of Armenia. About fifteen minutes later, while descending to Manizales by night and poor weather conditions, the aircraft collided with a mountain shrouded by clouds and disintegrated on impact, killing all 23 occupants.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-80-DL near Lapseki: 4 killed

Date & Time: Jan 5, 1954
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
TC-BAG
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Istanbul – Bandirma – Çanakkale
MSN:
19616
YOM:
1944
Location:
Lapseki
Marmara Region (Marmara Bölgesi)
Country:
Turkey
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
5
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
While flying in poor weather conditions, the aircraft crashed on a hill located near Lapseki. Two crew members and two passengers were killed while six other occupants were injured.

Crash of a Douglas R4D-8 on Agrihan Island: 10 killed

Date & Time: Dec 20, 1953
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
17179
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Andersen - Andersen
MSN:
43346
YOM:
1944
Location:
Agrihan Island
Northern Marianna Islands
Country:
Northern Mariana Islands
Region:
Oceania
Crew on board:
10
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
10
Circumstances:
The crew left Andersen AFB on a SAR mission following the disappearance three days earlier of a USN Consolidated PB4Y-2S Privateer that was completing a meteorological mission in the typhoon Doris. In flight, the R4D-8 hit the slope of the volcano located in the center of the Agrihan Island and disintegrated on impact, killing all 10 crew members. The wreckage was found six days later, on December 26. For unknown reason, the airplane was flying at an insufficient altitude and the pilots failed to distinguish the volcano.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain.

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

Date & Time: Dec 12, 1953 at 0325 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
VT-CHF
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Nagpur – Madras
MSN:
11810
YOM:
1943
Location:
Nagpur
Maharashtra
Country:
India
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
10
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
13
Circumstances:
The aircraft started its take-off run and became airborne in the normal manner somewhere near the intersection of runways 27 and 33. The captain of another aircraft who had moved to the beginning of runway 27 for his turn for take off, watched the take-off of the aircraft and noticed that it became airborne normally but swung to the left when at a height of about 10 or 15 feet. It then climbed steeply on a straight course until it had well passed the end of the runway, and reached a height of about 100 to 150 feet. Thereafter it turned sharply to the left, lost height and crashed in a field located 4,000 feet from the runway. All 10 passengers and three crew members were killed. The captain Desmond Arthur James Cartner was the only survivor.
Probable cause:
Loss of critical height during a steep left hand turn, with the undercarriage down, executed by the pilot at an unsafe altitude in an attempt to return to the aerodrome, after experiencing a temporary loss of power of the left engine soon after getting airborne. A false right engine fire warning precipitated the attempt at a forced landing. The following findings were reported by the Calcutta High Court:
- The port engine of the plane lost power after getting air-borne causing a swing and that it was due to defective supervision and check up,
- The swing corrected itself when the port engine revived again,
- In spite of failure of the port engine and/or correction thereof, the Captain and/or Pilots in charge did not follow the ordinary and usual procedure under such circumstances, namely, did not throttle back the engine and land straight ahead though there was sufficient length of runway available in front, to land and pull up even with the wheels down and certainly with the wheels up,
- Even though the engine revived, the fact that the gear was down was overlooked by both the pilots,
- A false starboard engine fire warning precipitated the attempt at forced landing obviously on account of defective supervision and check up,
- The lack of sufficient intensive checks for emergency procedures during the past twelve months preceding the accident which it is alleged, if carried out, might have given the pilot confidence, apart from practice enabling him to deal coolly with an emergency of this nature.
Final Report:

Crash of a Douglas C-47D off Sirte

Date & Time: Nov 26, 1953
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
43-16353
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
MSN:
20819
YOM:
1944
Location:
Sirte
Sirte (سرت )
Country:
Libya
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The crew encountered an unexpected situation and decided to abandon the aircraft that crashed into the Mediterranean sea about 24 km northeast of Sirte. There were no casualties but the aircraft sank and was lost.

Crash of a Douglas C-47B-20-DK near Calhan

Date & Time: Nov 5, 1953
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
43-49782
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Site:
Plain, Valley
MSN:
15598/27043
YOM:
1945
Location:
Calhan
Colorado
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Crashed in unknown circumstances two miles north of Calhan. Occupant fate unknown.

Crash of a Douglas C-47B-1-DK in Lai Châu: 7 killed

Date & Time: Oct 17, 1953
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Société Indochinoise de Liaisons Aériennes - SILA
Registration:
F-VNAE
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Hanoi – Lai Châu
MSN:
14146/25591
YOM:
1944
Location:
Lai Châu
Lai Châu Province
Country:
Vietnam
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
5
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
7
Circumstances:
Crashed on approach to Lai Châu for unknown reason, killing all seven occupants.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-40-DL near Mantet: 4 killed

Date & Time: Sep 26, 1953
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
42-24067
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
MSN:
9929
YOM:
1943
Location:
Mantet
Pyrénées-Orientales
Country:
France
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
Crashed in unknown circumstances on the slope of a mountain at the altitude of 2,270 meters near the village of Mantet. All four crew members were killed.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-35-DL in Ankara: 5 killed

Date & Time: Sep 25, 1953 at 1010 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
TC-EGE
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Ankara – Van
MSN:
9694
YOM:
1943
Location:
Ankara
Central Anatolia Region (İç Anadolu Bölgesi)
Country:
Turkey
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
16
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff from Ankara-Etimesgut Airport, while in initial climb, an engine caught fire. The crew elected to return for a safe landing when during the last turn, the aircraft stalled from a height of 450 feet and crashed in a dry river located near the airport. Four crew members and a passenger were killed while 16 other occupants were injured. The aircraft was destroyed.
Probable cause:
An engine caught fire shortly after takeoff.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-50-DL in San Luis de Palenque: 1 killed

Date & Time: Sep 19, 1953
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
HK-143
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Cargo
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Villavicencio – San Luis de Palenque
MSN:
10088
YOM:
1943
Location:
San Luis de Palenque
Casanare
Country:
Colombia
Region:
South America
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Circumstances:
Crashed while approaching San Luis de Palenque Airport. A crew member was killed while three other occupants were injured.
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