Lisbon

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Gibraltar – Lisbon

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew was performing a flight from Gibraltar to Lisbon to assist the crew of a RAF Halifax that diverted to Lisbon. While flying over the Atlantic Ocean, weather conditions deteriorated and the pilot decided to divert to Tangiers and later to Cadix. As the aircraft was short of fuel, he was forced to ditch the airplane 56 km south of Cadix and the radio operator was able to send a brief message before the aircraft impacted water and sank. All three crew members and two passengers took refuge in a dinghy while a third passenger drowned.
Crew (224th Squadron):
F/O Wilson, pilot,
F/O Ferguson, navigator,
F/Lt Joseph Charles Laurier Roger Labelle, wireless operator.
Passengers:
F/O Miller, †
Sgt Dobbs,
SAC C. Chambers.

Probable cause:

Fuel exhaustion in bad weather.

Crash of a Douglas C-54D-1-DC Skymaster off Lajes: 14 killed

Date & Time: Jan 31, 1951 at 2303 LT

Type of aircraft:

Douglas C-54 Skymaster

Operator:

Registration:

6603

Flight Phase:

Lockheed L-749 Constellation

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Lisbon – Lajes

MSN:

10597

YOM:

1945

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

On a night approach to Lajes AFB, the four engine aircraft crashed into the sea few km offshore. All 14 occupants were killed.

Crash of a Lockheed L-749-79-46 Constellation in Santa Maria: 48 killed

Date & Time: Oct 28, 1949 at 0252 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

F-BAZN

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Paris – Lisbon – Santa Maria – New York

MSN:

2546

YOM:

1947

Flight number:

AF009

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

6705

Captain / Total hours on type:

1513.00

Copilot / Total flying hours:

3010

Copilot / Total hours on type:

1582

Aircraft flight hours:

3394

Circumstances:

About 150 nm from his destination, the crew informed ground about the ETA in Santa Maria-Vila do Porto Airport at 0245LT. Few minutes later, the captain changed this ETA to 0255LT. During the final approach completed by night but in good weather conditions, while at an altitude of 3,000 feet, the captain confirmed to ATC that he had the runway in sight and was approaching in VFR mode. Shortly later, the aircraft hit the slope of Mt Redondo (about 900 meters high) located few km from the airport. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and all 48 occupants were killed. Among them were the French boxer Marcel Cerdan, the French violinist Ginette Neveu and her brother Jean Neveu, pianist, and Kay Kamen, artistic director by Walt Disney Studios.
Crew:
Jean de la Noue, pilot,
Charles Wolfer, copilot,
Camille Fidency, copilot,
André Villet, mechanic,
Marcel Sarrazin, mechanic,
Roger Pierre, radio operator,
Paul Giraud, radio operator,
Jean Salvatori, navigator,
Raymond Redon, steward,
Albert Brucker, steward,
Suzanne Ruig, stewardess.

Probable cause:

Without rejecting with an absolute certainty the possibility of a misinterpretation, the Commission of Inquiry believes that the inaccurate navigation of the aircraft is due to a sudden failure, at the end of the flight and unsuspected by the crew, of some elements from the receiving direction finding system, abnormal radio propagation operation or become defective. This cause combined with overconfidence due to good weather conditions in the arrival zone, conditions which have not prompted the captain to check his radio point as it would have done under unfavorable weather conditions. A visual confusion in darkness finally resulted.
Final report:
http://aviatechno.net/constellation/rapport_f-bazn.php

Crash of a Douglas DC-4 in Lisbon

Date & Time: Sep 3, 1948

Type of aircraft:

Douglas DC-4

Operator:

Registration:

CS-TSB

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Site:

Schedule:

Lisbon - Lisbon

MSN:

3059

YOM:

1943

Location:

Lisbon

Country:

Region:

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew was involved in a local training sortie in Lisbon-Portela de Sacavém Airport. For unknown reason, the four engine aircraft landed hard. All five crew members were unhurt but the aircraft was later inspected and considered as damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-65-DL in Lisbon

Date & Time: Jun 8, 1948

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

CS-TDF

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Site:

Schedule:

Lisbon - Lisbon

MSN:

18998

YOM:

1943

Location:

Lisbon

Country:

Region:

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew was completing a training mission in Lisbon. Shortly after takeoff from Lisbon-Portela de Sacavém Airport, while in initial climb, the instructor shut down an engine. The aircraft stalled and crashed near the runway end. While all five crew members were injured, the aircraft was destroyed.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-50-DL in Monte da Caparica: 3 killed

Date & Time: Jan 27, 1948

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

CS-TDB

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Lisbon - Lisbon

MSN:

10033

YOM:

1943

Location:

Monte da Caparica

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew was performing a training flight in the vicinity of Lisbon. In flight, the pilot encountered poor weather conditions and lost control of the aircraft that crashed in a huge explosion in Monte da Caparica, south of Lisbon. All three crew members were killed.

Crash of an Avro 685 York in Dakar: 6 killed

Date & Time: Apr 13, 1947

Type of aircraft:

Avro 685 York

Operator:

Registration:

G-AHEZ

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Site:

Schedule:

London – Lisbon – Dakar – Natal – Rio de Janeiro

MSN:

1303

YOM:

1946

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

On final approach to Dakar-Yoff Airport, the captain decided to go around due to low visibility causes by poor weather conditions. A second and a third attempt to land were aborted few minutes later. During the fourth attempt, while short of fuel, the aircraft landed hard and the undercarriage were sheared off. The aircraft slid on its belly for several yards and came to rest, broken in two. Six passengers were killed while nine other occupants were injured.

Probable cause:

Regarding the flight plan, there was too great errors in the ETA and the endurance was inexact. Lack of decision on the part of the pilot who, after his second attempt to land, and in view of his insufficient petrol reserve, should have carried out the diversionary plan.
The lighting of the runways was inadequate: there were no approach lights and there are no wireless facilities for landing in bad visibility at Dakar-Yoff Airport.
Contributory Causes:
Difficulties in exchange of radio telephony communications between the control tower and the aircraft,
Insufficient knowledge of the English language by the controllers in the tower, according to the Americans and British,
As regards to the crew, there certainly appears to have been a slight nervousness during the attempts to land,
The danger to passengers in the case of cabin fuselage below the wing in the event of a forced landing elsewhere than on a runway,
Lack of knowledge of the alternate airfield of Thies by BSAA crews. Thies was given on the old general aeronautical maps but at the time of the accident, no schedule for this aerodrome has yet been published by the Aeronautical Information Section. This schedule was available following the publication of the final investigation report.

Crash of a Douglas C-54B-15-DO Skymaster near Pedro Bernardo: 11 killed

Date & Time: Feb 6, 1947

Type of aircraft:

Douglas C-54 Skymaster

Operator:

Aerovías Cubanas Internacionales

Registration:

N44567

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Havana – Hamilton – Ponta Delgada – Lisbon – Madrid

MSN:

18386

YOM:

1944

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

While flying in poor weather conditions about 100 km west of Madrid, the four engine aircraft hit the slope of a mountain located in the Sierra de Gredos, near the village of Pedro Bernardo. The aircraft christened 'Ruta de Colón' was destroyed and all 11 occupants were killed.

Crash of a Douglas DC-3C-SIC3G near Lisbon: 19 killed

Date & Time: Feb 1, 1947 at 1845 LT

Type of aircraft:

Douglas DC-3

Operator:

Registration:

F-BAXQ

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Paris – Bordeaux – Lisbon

MSN:

13806/25251

YOM:

1944

Location:

Lisbon

Country:

Region: