Douglas DC-3

The flight crew stated that while making a missed approach after a practice instrument landing system approach, the right engine failed. The captain took control of the airplane from the copilot. The captain stated that while he performed the emergency procedures for engine failure, he noticed the left engine was not producing power. He then made a forced landing in water east of the airport. He stated that just before impact, he feathered the left propeller. The copilot stated he observed the captain activate the propeller feathering button for the left engine as he performed the emergency procedures for the right engine failure. The reason for failure of the right engine was not determined.

Shortly after takeoff from Ciudad Bolívar Airport, while climbing, the crew declared an emergency following an engine failure and was cleared for an immediate return. The crew made a turn and while approaching runway 07, the aircraft stalled and crashed near the district of El Perú, bursting into flames. The wreckage was found about 3 km short of runway. The aircraft was totally destroyed by a post crash fire and all 24 occupants were killed, among them 6 US citizens, five Dutch, four Italians, two Hungarian, one Austrian and six Venezuelan. Also, a young woman and her both children who were standing at the crash site were seriously injured.

A Douglas DC-3 airplane departed an island runway during dark night, VFR conditions without filing a flight plan. The airplane collided with a volcanic mountain at 1,500 feet msl on the runway heading, 4.5 miles from the airport. Earlier in the day, the airplane arrived from Anchorage, Alaska, without a flight plan, having flown along the Alaska Peninsula when VFR flight was not recommended. The crew of the airplane initially planned to remain overnight on the peninsula, but the captain received a request to transport cargo to Anchorage. The airplane was loaded with cargo and fuel, and departed. The crew did not file a flight plan. The end of the departure runway is positioned at the edge of an ocean bay. Beyond the end of the runway, open water and rising volcanic island terrain are present. In the area of intended flight, no illumination of the terrain, or any ground based lighting was present. An obstacle departure procedure for the departure runway recommends a right turn at 2 DME from the runway heading, and then a climb to 7,000 feet. Forty-five minutes after departure, a fire was spotted on the side of a volcano cone, and an ELT signal was detected in the area. No company flight following procedures were found for the accident flight, and the airplane was not reported overdue until the following day. The day after the accident, the airplane wreckage was located on steep, snow-covered terrain. Due to high winds and blowing snow, a rescue team could not get to the accident site until three days after the crash. The captain was the president, the director of operations, and the sole corporate entity of the company. No current maintenance records, flight logs, or pilot logs were located for the company. In the past, the captain's pilot certificate was suspended for 45 days following an accident in a DC-3 airplane when he ran out of gas. Also, the captain's medical certificate had previously been considered for denial after serving 49 months in federal prison for cocaine distribution, but after review, the FAA issued the captain a first class medical. FAA medical records for the captain do not contain any record of monitoring for substance abuse. The first officer's medical had also been considered for denial after an episode of a loss of consciousness. After a lengthy review and an appeal to the NTSB, the FAA issued the first officer a second-class medical. The first officer was part of the flight crew when the captain ran out of gas, and she had two previous aviation accidents. A toxicological examination of the captain, conducted by the FAA, found cocaine and metabolites of cocaine. A toxicological examination of the first officer found two different prescription antidepressant drugs. The FAA prohibits narcotic and mood-altering drug use by pilots.

The twin engine aircraft departed Orito at 0740LT on a cargo flight to Villavicencio-La Vanguardia Airport, carrying two passengers and three crew members. Nine minutes after takeoff, while flying in poor weather conditions, the crew reported to ATC they were passing 7,500 feet and was cleared to climb to 11,500 feet. One minute later, radar contact was lost. The aircraft disintegrated in the air and crashed in a field near La Montañita. All five occupants were killed.

The twin engine aircraft departed Cúcuta-Camilo Daza Airport at 1533LT on a charter flight to Yopal, carrying five passengers, three crew members and a load of 2,500 kilos of various goods. About an hour into the flight, while cruising over the El Cocuy National Park, the aircraft encountered unfavorable currents, lost height and crashed in an isolated and mountainous area located about 45 km west of Tame. The wreckage was found on 12 April 1999 and all eight occupants were killed.

The accident aircraft, a Douglas DC-3C, C-GWUG, was owned and operated by Kelowna Flightcraft Air Charter Ltd. (Kelowna Flightcraft) and was under charter to Purolator Courier Ltd. (Purolator). Since April 1998, the aircraft had been dedicated to transporting cargo on a route between Vancouver and Nanaimo, British Columbia. On occasion, it was also used for flights to Victoria to meet Purolator=s scheduling or cargo-loading contingencies. On the day of the accident, the aircraft, operating as KFA300, was rerouted and tasked to fly from Vancouver to Victoria and then proceed to Nanaimo. This change was precipitated by the delayed arrival of Purolator=s Boeing 727 at Vancouver because of inclement weather in the Toronto/Hamilton, Ontario, area. Warning of this route change was passed to the crew members with their pre-flight planning package, which included filed instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plans for the Vancouver-to-Victoria and Victoria-to-Nanaimo legs of the trip. The captain of the occurrence flight cancelled his IFR flight plan and refiled visual flight rules (VFR) on first contact with air traffic control. Vancouver tower cleared KFA300 for take-off at 0622 Pacific standard time (PST) from runway 26L. After take-off, the aircraft turned left on a track toward Active Pass, as seen in Figure 1. During the departure climb, the captain requested an altitude of 1000 feet above sea level (asl); the tower controller approved this request. Recorded radar data indicate that the aircraft climbed to and levelled at 1000 feet asl and then accelerated to a steady en route ground speed of 130 knots. The aircraft left the Vancouver control zone at 0626 and entered Class E (controlled) airspace. There are no special requirements for VFR aircraft operating within this class of airspace, nor are any specific services required of the air traffic control system. As the aircraft approached the Gulf Islands, it descended slightly and remained level at 900 feet asl. It crossed about 0.25 nautical mile (nm) west of the Active Pass non-directional beacon (NDB) at 0632 while remaining steady at 130 knots (ground speed) and level at 900 feet asl. At 0633:04, the aircraft descended to 800 feet asl for about nine seconds. The last radar data show the aircraft at 900 feet asl and 130 knots. The last radar-depicted position of the aircraft is on a bearing of 189 degrees (true) and 21.8 nm from the Sea Island radar source, coincident with the crash location.

The aircraft was completing a charter flight over the Salto Angel falls east of the Mt Auyán-Tepui, in the Canaima National Park, carrying 22 tourists and a crew of three. On approach to Canaima Airport, at an altitude of 3,000 feet, the right engine lost power. The crew continued the approach when the left engine suffered a loss of power as well. The aircraft stalled and crashed in an open field located 1,600 metres short of runway. The copilot was killed and three other occupants were seriously injured.