Crash of an Embraer EMB-110C Bandeirante in Petrolina: 2 killed

Date & Time: Oct 28, 1976
Operator:
Registration:
PT-TBA
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Petrolina - Recife
MSN:
110-004
YOM:
1972
Country:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
5
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
Three minutes after its takeoff from Petrolina Airport, the airplane was seen to initiate a turn to the left when it stalled and crashed in a field. The airplane caught fire and was almost destroyed. Both pilots were killed while four passengers were injured. A fifth passenger escaped uninjured.

Crash of a Rockwell Sabreliner 40R off Recife: 1 killed

Date & Time: Jan 14, 1976 at 1835 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
N85
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Frankfurt - Georgetown - Recife - Oklahoma City
MSN:
282-97
YOM:
1968
Country:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Captain / Total flying hours:
13920
Captain / Total hours on type:
2440.00
Circumstances:
While descending to Recife-Guararapes Airport, both engines failed simultaneously. The captain reduced his altitude and ditched the airplane few dozen km offshore. Two crew members were rescued while the third drowned. The aircraft sank into the Atlantic Ocean and was lost.
Probable cause:
Double engine failure caused by a fuel exhaustion. The following contributing factors were reported:
- Navigational error on part of the crew,
- Fuel exhaustion,
- Complete engine failure,
- Wrote wrong course on navigation chart.
Final Report:

Crash of a Fairchild-Hiller FH-227B off Belém: 38 killed

Date & Time: Mar 14, 1970 at 1730 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
PP-BUF
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Recife - Belém
MSN:
556
YOM:
1967
Flight number:
QR903
Country:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
35
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
38
Circumstances:
The approach to Belém-Val-de-Cans-Júlio Cezar Ribeiro Airport was initiated in poor weather conditions with thunderstorm activity and heavy rain falls. While completing a last turn to join the approach path of runway 06, the pilot-in-command failed to realize his altitude was insufficient when one of the wing struck the water surface. The airplane crashed into the Guajará Bay, about 800 meters short of runway 06 threshold. A crew member and a passenger were rescued while 38 other occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Probable misjudgement of the distance separating the aircraft and the water surface on part of the flying crew while conducting an approach in marginal weather conditions.

Crash of a Lockheed C-130E Hercules in Recife: 7 killed

Date & Time: Dec 21, 1969 at 0645 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
2450
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
London - Recife - Rio de Janeiro
MSN:
4091
YOM:
1965
Country:
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
7
Circumstances:
The crew was completing a flight from London to Rio de Janeiro, with an intermediate stop in Recife. After a night stop in Recife, the crew took off from Recife-Guararapes Airport in early morning on the last leg to Rio. Shortly after takeoff from runway 36, while climbing, the crew informed ATC that one of the right engine caught fire and elected to make an emergency landing. The airplane lost height and eventually crashed in flames on a potery located in the district of Apipucos, some 10 km northwest of the airport. The aircraft was destroyed and all seven crew members were killed.
Crew:
Cpt Nei Custódio Adriano, pilot,
Cpt José da Silva, pilot,
1st Lt Luis Pereira da Fonseca,
Lt Milton Pinto da Rocha,
Sgt Edmundo Silva,
Sgt Osvaldo Pereira Davi +1.
Probable cause:
One of the right engine caught fire during initial climb for undetermined reason.

Crash of a Beechcraft C18S in Alcobaça: 2 killed

Date & Time: May 29, 1969
Type of aircraft:
Registration:
PT-BBJ
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Recife – Rio de Janeiro
MSN:
493
YOM:
1941
Location:
Country:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
While on a cargo flight from Recife to Rio de Janeiro, the crew encountered engine problems. The airplane went out of control and crashed in a prairie near Alcobaça, Bahia. Both occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Engine failure.

Crash of a Curtiss C-46C Super Commando near Gravatá: 3 killed

Date & Time: Jul 15, 1968
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
PP-VBJ
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
São Paulo – Recife
MSN:
33481
YOM:
1945
Country:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
While on a cargo flight from São Paulo to Recife, the airplane crashed in unknown circumstances in the Coelhos Mountain Range, near Gravatá. All three crew members were killed.

Accident of a Sud-Aviation SE-210 Caravelle VI-R near Recife

Date & Time: Sep 6, 1963
Operator:
Registration:
PP-PDU
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Salvador - Recife
MSN:
118
YOM:
1962
Country:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The Caravelle was operating on a flight from Salvador to Recife and was cruising at 8700 m in VMC. The flight contacted Recife Control over Maceio and received clearance to descend to 6150 m. Recife Approached later cleared the aircraft for 900 m and informed the crew about another aircraft descending from 900 to 600 m on the same direction in IMC. When descending through 1800 m the crew were surprised by the lights of another aircraft. To avoid possible collision the Caravelle was brusquely manouevred upwards. Landing at Recife-Guarapes at 22:09 was normal. After returning to Rio de Janeiro-Galeao, the aircraft was thoroughly inspected by Panair maintenance. It appeared the plane had suffered serious damage to the structure, rendering the aircraft damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
Rapid evasive manoeuvre judged necessary to avoid collision overloaded the aircraft's structure.

Crash of a Lockheed P-15 Neptune in Viçosa: 9 killed

Date & Time: Jul 31, 1962
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
7001
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Recife - Recife
MSN:
426-5131
Location:
Country:
Crew on board:
9
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
9
Circumstances:
While on a training flight out from Recife-Guararapes Airport, the airplane went out of control, dove into the ground and crashed in a field located in Viçosa. All nine crew members were killed.

Crash of a Boeing SB-17G Flying Fortress in Recife

Date & Time: Jul 12, 1962
Operator:
Registration:
5405
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
10224
YOM:
1943
Country:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff from Recife-Guararapes Airport, while climbing, the airplane stalled and crashed onto a building. There were no casualties but the aircraft was written off.
Probable cause:
Loss of control caused by an engine failure during initial climb.

Crash of a Douglas DC-7C in Recife: 45 killed

Date & Time: Nov 1, 1961 at 0215 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
PP-PDO
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Lisbon – Praia – Recife – Rio de Janeiro
MSN:
44872
YOM:
1957
Country:
Crew on board:
9
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
79
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
45
Captain / Total flying hours:
16243
Captain / Total hours on type:
1004.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
20944
Copilot / Total hours on type:
193
Circumstances:
The aircraft, coming from Lisbon, Portugal with a stop at Ilha do Sal, contacted Recife Control Tower at 0505Z. While flying at night in good visibility the flight received instructions for landing and was to call again on the "wind leg". Reporting as requested, authorization for landing was given, and the aircraft was asked to notify when on "final". Thirty seconds thereafter it collided with high (84 m) ground to the right of the centreline of the runway in use, 2 720 m from the runway threshold. The aircraft was destroyed by fire. Thirty-eight passengers and 7 crew members were killed while 43 other occupants were injured.
Probable cause:
The accident was caused by pilot errors, i.e. improper evaluation of distance, flying a non-standard traffic pattern by night and failing to observe altitude minima during the final approach. A contributing cause was the improper night marking of obstructions along the approach path towards runway 15.
Final Report: