Crash of a Douglas DC-2-152 in Bistriţa: 6 killed

Date & Time: Aug 6, 1937
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
URSS-M25
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Bucharest – Moscow
MSN:
1413
YOM:
1935
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
3
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
En route from Bucharest to Moscow, the aircraft suffered an in-flight fire that quickly spread in the cabin. Control was lost and the airplane crashed in an open field located near Bistriţa, Transylvania. All six occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
It is believed that a passenger lit a cigarette in the rear toilets where fuel vapors accumulated, causing a sudden and violent fire.