Douglas DC-2 | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

The aircraft named 'Gaai' departed Milan Airport at 1156LT bound for Frankfurt. While overflying Ticino at the altitude of 5,000 metres, the crew encountered poor weather with severe icing conditions. The aircraft lost height and while descending through the last cloud layer, the captain decided to attempt an emergency landing when the aircraft impacted trees and crashed near Pian San Giacomo, Graubünden. The stewardess was found seriously injured while 12 other occupants were killed. She died from her injuries few hours later.

Probable cause:

Lost of control following an excessive accumulation of ice on both wings and fuselage, increasing aircraft's weight and decreasing performances. Poor weather conditions, icing, low visibility and the absence of a suitable terrain for an emergency landing were considered as contributing factors.

Crash of a Douglas DC-2-115E in Bushehr

Date & Time: Jul 17, 1935 at 1630 LT

Type of aircraft:

Douglas DC-2

Operator:

Registration:

PH-AKM

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Batavia – Jodhpur – Bushehr - Baghdad – Amsterdam

MSN:

1359

YOM:

1935

Location:

Bushehr

Country:

Iran

Region:

Asia

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

During the takeoff roll at Bushehr Airport, after a distance of some 300 metres and running at a speed of 120 km/h, the aircraft named 'Maraboe' hit an unevenness on the runway surface. The right main gear broke off and a fuel line was cut. The aircraft went out of control, swerved on runway and eventually came to rest, bursting into flames. All 11 occupants evacuated safely and the airplane was destroyed by fire.

Probable cause:

Undercarriage failure upon takeoff following an impact with an unevenness on the runway surface.

Crash of a Douglas DC-2-112 in Atlanta: 5 killed

Date & Time: May 6, 1935 at 0330 LT

Type of aircraft:

Douglas DC-2

Operator:

Registration:

NC13785

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Los Angeles – Albuquerque – Kansas City – New York

MSN:

1295

YOM:

1934

Flight number:

TW006

Location:

Atlanta

Missouri

Country:

United States of America

Region:

North America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

While cruising 10 km west from Macon, Missouri, the crew encountered poor weather conditions and was unable to contact the base in Kansas City. In low visibility due to fog, the crew was unable to fix his position and attempted to make an emergency landing in an open field. The aircraft impacted ground and crashed. Both pilots and three passengers were killed, among them Bronson M. Cutting, Senator of New Mexico.

Probable cause:

It is the opinion of the Accident Board that the probable direct cause of this accident was an unintentional collision with the ground while the airplane was being maneuvered at a very low altitude in fog and darkness. The probable contributory causes of this accident were:
- A forecast by the United States Weather Bureau which did not predict the hazardous weather that developed during the latter part of the forecast period.
- Improper clearance of the airplane from Albuquerque by the company's ground personnel because of their knowledge that the plane's two-way radio was not functioning on the Western night frequency.
- Improper control by the company's ground personnel at Albuquerque for not calling the airplane back or ordering it to stop at an intermediate point when it was found that two-way radio communication could not be established.
- Error on the part of the pilot for proceeding in the flight after discovering that he was unable to effectively communicate with the ground.
- Failure of the company's ground personnel at Kansas City to expeditiously redispatch the airplane to a field where better weather existed when it became apparent that the ceiling at Kansas City was dropping to and below the authorized minimum for landing and while the airplane still had sufficient fuel to meet the Department of Commerce requirement of 45-minute fuel reserve after effecting a landing.

Crash of a Douglas DC-2-115A in Ruţbah Wells: 7 killed

Date & Time: Dec 20, 1934 at 0333 LT

Type of aircraft:

Douglas DC-2

Operator:

Registration:

PH-AJU

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Desert

Schedule:

Amsterdam – Marseille – Rome – Athens – Cairo – Baghdad – Karachi – Yangon – Singapore – Batavia

MSN:

1317

YOM:

1934

Location:

Ruţbah Wells (Ar Ruţbah)

Al-Anbar (الأنبار)

Country:

Iraq

Region:

Asia

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

284

Circumstances:

The crew departed Cairo-Almaza Airport at 2330LT bound for Baghdad. While overflying the Iraqi Desert at night, the crew encountered poor weather conditions and decided to divert to Ruţbah Wells. On approach, the aircraft was at full power when it impacted the ground in a 17° right bank angle and 12° nose down attitude. The aircraft crashed and exploded some 16 km from the Ruţbah Wells Airfield. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all seven occupants were killed.
Crew:
Wilhelm Marie Okko Anne Beekman, pilot,
Jan Johannes van Steenbergen, copilot,
Hendrik Abraham Waalewijn, engineer,
Gysbert van Zadelhoff, radio navigator.
Passengers:
Dominique Willem Berretty,
E. W. Walch,
Jacob Thymen Kort.

Probable cause:

The cause of the accident is probably not related to a fire, in-flight break-up or lightning, nor related to failures of a technical nature. It is very likely that the very unfavorable weather conditions along with less favorable handling characteristics of the airplane in severe turbulence and fatigue of the pilot have resulted in a collision with the ground, which caused the catastrophe.