Crash of an Avro 685 York C.1 near Karaj: 4 killed

Date & Time: Mar 15, 1963 at 0910 LT
Type of aircraft:
Avro 685 York
Operator:
Registration:
OD-ACZ
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Cargo
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Tehran – Beirut
MSN:
1218
YOM:
1945
Location:
Karaj
Alborz
Country:
Iran
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Captain / Total flying hours:
16553
Captain / Total hours on type:
6000.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
4714
Copilot / Total hours on type:
4000
Circumstances:
The Avro York plane carried out a freight flight from Beirut to Tehran via Kuwait. On the Kuwait-Tehran leg of the flight several test manoeuvres were carried out by a check pilot who was examining the pilot in command and co-pilot for renewal of their licenses. Shortly after takeoff, while climbing, the airplane went out of control and crashed in a huge explosion 11 km southeast of Karaj, west of Tehran. The aircraft was completely destroyed upon impact and all four crew members were killed.
Probable cause:
The position of the propellers at the time of impact would indicate that, at a time when the no. 4 engine power was off, an emergency condition developed which necessitated the feathering of no. 3 engine and the unfeathering of no. 4. Alternatively, a loss of power on the starboard engines could have occurred from an erroneous manipulation of the feathering switches during the course of this assumed crew checking exercise. In view of the fact that the fully loaded aircraft was flying at a low altitude after taking off from Mehrabad Airport which has an elevation of 3900 feet, it is evident that at the aircraft would not have sufficient altitude for the pilot to take effective recovery action and so avoid a crash resulting from the above mentioned loss-of-power conditions.
Final Report:

Crash of an Avro 685 York I in Muscat

Date & Time: Sep 11, 1962 at 1118 LT
Type of aircraft:
Avro 685 York
Operator:
Registration:
OD-ADA
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Cargo
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Beirut – Muscat
MSN:
1311
YOM:
1946
Location:
Muscat
Muscat Governorate
Country:
Oman
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Upon landing at Muscat-Azaiba Airfield, the four engine aircraft went out of control, veered off runway to the right and came to rest with its right main gear collapsed. All three crew members were uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Douglas DC-4-1009 off Brindisi: 6 killed

Date & Time: Jul 9, 1962 at 2342 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas DC-4
Operator:
Registration:
OD-AEC
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Cargo
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
London – Frankfurt – Brindisi – Beirut
MSN:
42918
YOM:
1946
Flight number:
MV104
Location:
Brindisi
Apulia
Country:
Italy
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Captain / Total flying hours:
15000
Captain / Total hours on type:
5000.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
2700
Circumstances:
Following a normal takeoff from Brindisi Airport runway 05, the airplane did not gain height as expected. After reaching a height of 60 m it began to descend gradually, in a slightly banked to port attitude, and struck the sea about 2,250 m from the end of the runway, 4° left of the extended runway centerline. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and a fire broke out. All six crew members were killed.
Probable cause:
The accident was probably caused by a loss of power on No.1 and 2 engines following takeoff, which resulted in a gradual loss of height. The probable slow psycho-physical reaction of the crew, due to fatigue, may have prevented perception of the danger and the timely execution of manoeuvres to prevent the accident, or minimize its consequences.
Final Report:

Crash of a Douglas DC-3 in Cairo: 3 killed

Date & Time: May 15, 1962
Type of aircraft:
Douglas DC-3
Operator:
Registration:
SU-AJM
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Cargo
Survivors:
No
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Cairo – Beirut
Location:
Cairo-Intl
Cairo
Country:
Egypt
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff from Cairo-Intl Airport, while climbing, the airplane went out of control and crashed near the runway end. All three crew members were killed.

Crash of a Douglas DC-4-1009 in Muscat

Date & Time: Jan 21, 1962
Type of aircraft:
Douglas DC-4
Operator:
Registration:
OD-ADO
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Cargo
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Beirut – Muscat
MSN:
42949
YOM:
1946
Location:
Muscat
Muscat Governorate
Country:
Oman
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
On final approach to Muscat Airport, the four engine aircraft struck the ground and crashed in flames short of runway threshold. All four crew members were rescued while the aircraft was destroyed.
Probable cause:
Poor judgement on part of the crew who continued the approach at an insufficient altitude.

Crash of a Douglas DC-4 near Rasht

Date & Time: Aug 4, 1961 at 0146 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas DC-4
Operator:
Registration:
EP-ADK
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Cargo
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Beirut – Tehran
MSN:
10384
YOM:
1944
Location:
Rasht
Gilan
Country:
Iran
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
11700
Captain / Total hours on type:
4700.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
6400
Copilot / Total hours on type:
1645
Circumstances:
On a cargo flight from Beirut to Tehran, while cruising at an altitude between 13,000 and 15,000 feet by night, the four engine aircraft was attacked by the pilot of an unknown fighter. The engine number one was hit, causing a fire that spread to the nacelle and the wing. Shortly later, the engine number four was shut down and its propeller feathered due to a fuel exhaustion (the fuel tank was apparently empty). In such situation, the crew reduced his altitude and attempted an emergency landing near Rasht. The airplane came to rest in a field and was destroyed. All three crew members were uninjured. It is presumed the crew made a navigation error in flight, causing the aircraft to fly over the Soviet Union without authorization.
Probable cause:
Shut down by an unknown fighter in flight. The accident was attributed to faulty navigation.
Final Report:

Crash of an Avro 685 York C.1 in Muscat

Date & Time: May 24, 1961
Type of aircraft:
Avro 685 York
Operator:
Registration:
OD-ACO
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Cargo
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Muscat – Beirut
MSN:
1222
YOM:
1945
Location:
Muscat
Muscat Governorate
Country:
Oman
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
During the takeoff roll at Muscat Airport, the tire on the left main gear burst. The crew continued the takeoff and during initial climb, informed ATC of the situation and received the permission to return for a safe landing. On touchdown, the left main gear collapsed and the airplane slid for dozen yards before coming to rest in flames. All three crew members escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
Failure of the left main gear on touchdown following a tire burst.

Crash of an Avro 685 York C.1 in Tehran

Date & Time: May 27, 1960
Type of aircraft:
Avro 685 York
Operator:
Registration:
OD-ACD
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Cargo
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Tehran – Beirut
MSN:
MW138
YOM:
1944
Location:
Tehran-Mehrabad
Tehran City District
Country:
Iran
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Crashed on takeoff at Mehrabad Airport for unknown reason. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair and all three crew members were injured.

Crash of a Douglas DC-4 in Beyrouth: 24 killed

Date & Time: Nov 21, 1959
Type of aircraft:
Douglas DC-4
Operator:
Registration:
YA-BAG
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
London – Frankfurt – Beirut – Tehran – Kandahar – Kabul
MSN:
18367
YOM:
1944
Flight number:
FG202
Location:
Beirut
Beirut Governorate
Country:
Lebanon
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
22
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
24
Circumstances:
The aircraft was performing a flight from London to Kabul with several intermediate stops. The stopover at Beirut was longer than expected because few technical issues were noted after the airplane landed from Frankfurt. The departure from Beirut was postponed for 20 hours. Two minutes after departure from runway 18, while climbing, the airplane struck the slope of Mt Aramoun located about 5 km south of the airfield and burst into flames. Three passengers were seriously injured while all 24 other occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
The accident was attributed to a combination of:
- A navigational error in that the pilot did not right turn out as early as he should have, either because he forgot or because he was distracted by some unusual occurrence,
- A fire indication (or possibly a fire) in the number one engine which induced the pilot to start fire emergency action with a resulting reduction in the rate of turn and the rate of climb.

Crash of an Avro 685 York in Brindisi

Date & Time: Jan 5, 1959
Type of aircraft:
Avro 685 York
Operator:
Registration:
OD-ACE
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Cargo
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Beirut – Brindisi – London
MSN:
SET50
YOM:
1946
Location:
Brindisi
Apulia
Country:
Italy
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
After touchdown at Brindisi Airport, the four engine airplane went out of control, veered off runway and came to rest. All three crew members were injured and the aircraft was written off.
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