Horta

The aircraft departed Ponta Delgada Airport at 0930LT on a schedule flight to Horta, carrying 31 passengers and a crew of four. The weather en route was affected by a frontal system with scattered cumulonimbus, heavy showers, turbulence and strong winds from the southwest. The crew decided to alter their flight plan, opting for a route that included approach descent over the channel between Pico and São Jorge islands to intercept the 250 degree VOR/VFL Horta radial. Horta tower initially cleared the flight to FL100. The crew then requested and were cleared to descent to 5,000 feet with the instruction of maintaining visual contact with Pico Island. During the descent heavy rain and turbulence were encountered. Seven minutes after initiating the descent, while in IMC conditions, the airplane impacted the northern hillside of Pico da Esperança (1067 metres high) located on São Jorge Island. It was later reported that the GPWS alarm sounded 17 seconds before impact. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 35 occupants were killed.

The twin engine airplane departed Ponta Delgada Airport at 1449LT on a survey flight over the Atlantic ocean to trace shoals of tuna, carrying two passengers, one observer and one pilot. At 1751LT, the mission was over and the pilot was cleared to descend to Horta Airport. On final approach to runway 29, after being cleared to land, the aircraft entered a right turn then lost height and crashed 600 meters to the right of the runway 29 extended centerline. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all four occupants were killed.

Christened 'Star Tiger', the four engine aircraft left Horta, in the Azores Islands, at 1534LT bound for Hamilton, Bermuda. At 0200LT, about 10,5 hours into the flight, the navigator Cyril Ellison fixed its position and learned that they too had been blown off course and were crabbing away from Bermuda. He informed the pilot McMillan about a new course which turned the aircraft directly into a gale. However, McMillan still expected to reach Bermuda with at least an hour's worth of fuel remaining upon landing. At 0304LT, the radio officer Robert Tuck requested a radio bearing from Bermuda, but the signal was not strong enough to obtain an accurate reading. He repeated the request eleven minutes later, and this time the Bermuda radio operator was able to obtain a bearing of 72 degrees, accurate to within 2 degrees. The Bermuda operator transmitted this information, and Tuck acknowledged receipt at 0317LT. This was the last radio contact with the aircraft and its crew. As the aircraft failed to arrive in Hamilton, SAR operations were conducted but were eventually suspended few days later as no trace of the aircraft nor the 31 occupants was found.

While approaching Bermuda on a flight from London to Havana, the crew was instructed by ATC to stack due to poor weather conditions (thunderstorm). After 90 minutes, the crew was cleared to land at Hamilton-Kindley Field and started the approach that was completed in marginal weather conditions and poor visibility. Too low, the four engine aircraft christened 'Star Trail' hit a radio mast, stalled and crashed few hundred yards short of runway. All 20 occupants were rescued while the aircraft was written off.

The flight maintained in altitude of approximately 7000 feet until it approached the mouth of the Tagus River, approximately 11 miles from Lisbon, when a gradual let-down was made to about 600 feet. The Portuguese authorities require that this altitude be maintained from the mouth of the river to the landing area. The flight arrived over the area at about 1835 GMT (6:35 p.m. Lisbon time) 3 hours and 52 minutes after take-off from Horta and 15 minutes ahead of its estimated arrival time. Since official sunset was at 6:20 p.m., PanAm's ground crew at Lisbon had set out as usual a string of landing lights, indicating that the landing was to be made from south to north. On this particular occasion the light arrangement was slightly different from normal, since the extreme downwind (south) light, which was usually green in color, had been replaced with a white light. The only reason for this change was that the green bulb had burned out and the PanAm station substituted the white bulb. Captain Sullivan indicated in his testimony that the substitution of lights was not confusing and had no bearing on the accident. This string of five landing lights extended over a distance of approximately 4500 feet. At the time the flight arrived an the area it was still light enough for the aircraft to be observed plainly by personnel in the PanAm launch and on the shore. The PanAm launch had patrolled the landing area east of the string of landing lights and had taken its station near the red light which was the extreme upwind (north) light of the landing strip. The landing conditions and barometric pressure were given to the flight by radio at 6:35 p.m. and were acknowledged with a statement from the flight that they would want flares when both landing lights were blinked. While proceeding in a northeasterly direction, at an estimated speed of 135 knots and at an altitude of between 500 and 600 feet over the area, about 1 1/2 miles east and abeam of the center light in the string of landing lights, the aircraft made a descending, turn to the left which continued until it was headed in a westerly direction when the left wing tip skimmed along the surface of the water, dug in and the plane crashed into the river. It remained partially submerged for approximately 10 minutes, then disappeared below the surface of the river. The PanAm launch, which had been standing by for the landing, proceeded to the scene of the accident, arriving about 10 minutes later, and began rescue operations. The PanAm launch was joined by a BOAC launch (British) and another PanAm launch approximately 10 minutes later. The American actress Tamara Drasin and the American novelist Ben Robertson were killed in the crash while the actress Jane Froman was seriously injured.

Both pilots Casimir Kubala and Ludwik Idzikowski attempted to cross the Atlantic Ocean from Paris to New York. A first attempt was made in July 1928 without success. Named 'Marszałek Piłsudski', the aircraft was bought by the Polish Government and was equipped with the Polish Air Force roundel. The crew departed Paris-Le Bourget Airport at 0345LT bound to the west to the Atlantic Ocean. More than an hour later, the engine surged and the crew decided to divert to the Azores Islands. Four hours later, the engine was about to fail so the crew diverted to Horta. On final approach, the aircraft was too low and hit a rocky wall short of runway. It overturned and came to rest upside down, bursting into flames. While Casimir Kubala was slightly injured, Ludwik Idzikowski was killed. The Amiot 123 was built at one example expressly for the Polish Government to attempt this cross Atlantic flight.

Owned by the Canadian E. Hosmer, the twin engine seaplane was completing a transatlantic flight from Pisa to New York with intermediate stops in Lisbon, Horta and Halifax. On 28JUL1928, the crew departed Lisbon at 0800LT and arrived in the Azores Island the same day at 1700LT. On 01AUG1928, the aircraft departed Horta bound for Canada but en route, crew should make an emergency landing due to an engine fire some 500 miles offshore. The crew was rescued a day later by the crew of the ship named 'Minnewaska' and transferred to the US. The aircraft was recovered few days later by the crew of the ship named 'Valprato' and transferred to Canadian Vickers manufactury. Repair costs were considered as too high so the aircraft was withdrawn from use.

The seaplane named 'La Frégate' crashed while taking off from the Horta Bay for unknown reasons. While both crew members were slightly injured, the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. It was on its way from Brest, France, to New York.

The crew was performing a flight from Rostock to Newfoundland on behalf of the German manufacturer Heinkel Flugzeugbau. The aircraft departed Warnemünde harbor (north of Rostock) at 1221LT on 12OCT1927 and made several intermediate stops en route: Brunsbüttel on 12OCT, Wilhelmshaven on 13OCT, Amsterdam on 14OCT, Vigo on 16OCT, Lisbon on 18OCT and Horta on 04NOV. After few days on Faial Island, the crew decided to continue his trip to Canada and started on the night of 12 to 13 of November. Two takeoff attempts were abandoned due to unfavorable winds, and during the third attempt, while climbing, the aircraft crashed in the sea, in the harbor of Horta. While all three occupants escaped uninjured, the aircraft was destroyed.
Crew:
Captain Horst Mertz, pilot,
Willem Bock, radio navigator,
Fritz Rohde, engineer.