Brazil

The seaplane crashed into the Rio Guaíba while approaching Porto Alegre by night. Two crew members were killed while four others were injured.

Crashed in unknown circumstances in the jungle near Curralinho, Pará. The wreckage was found few hours later and all 23 occupants were killed, among them four crew members.
Crew:
Maj Paulo Ribeiro,
Cpt Rubens Rozsa,
Qav Florival Nery de Souza,
Qmr Aguinaldo Martins Favacho.

En route from Rio de Janeiro to Salvador, the airplane went out of control and crashed in unknown circumstances near Prado, south Bahia. The aircraft was destroyed and all 17 occupants were killed, among them Major-Brigadier Dionisio Cerqueira de Taunay who was travelling with his wife and both children on behalf of the Ministry of Defense.

Shortly after takeoff from Campo de Marte AFB, the crew encountered engine problems and elected to make an emergency landing. The airplane crash landed on a road, slid for several yards and came to rest. All seven occupants were rescued and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

The Super Constellation operated on flight LH502 from Hamburg, Germany to Buenos Aires, Argentina. The crew were cleared to descend from 4,200 m to 3,000 m when 20 min out from Rio de Janeiro. They were to maintain 3,000 m to the KX NDB in preparation for an approach and landing at runway 14. Over KX they were cleared to descend to 900 m. Galeão Approach was contacted and normal position reports were made. The plane descended over Guanabara Bay under rainy conditions and struck the water with the nose wheel. The crew then presumably tried to continue the approach, but the Constellation crashed near Flecheiras Beach, short of the Galeão runway. The airplane was destroyed by fire and seven crew members and all 29 passengers were killed. Only three crew members survived. Crew duty and flight time exceeded the Brazilian limits but did not exceed the German limitations.

Due to foggy conditions, the Santos Dumont Airport was closed to trafic and the crew diverted to Galeão Airport where the passengers disembarked. When the weather conditions improved, the crew was able to complete a short ferry flight back from Galeão to Santos Dumont. After touchdown on runway 02, the airplane was unable to stop within the remaining distance, overran and plunged into the Guanabara Bay. All five crew members were injured and the aircraft was lost.

Shortly after takeoff from Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont Airport, while climbing to a height of 50 meters, the left engine failed. The crew completed a turn to the left, continued for about 500 meters and then made a second turn to the left when the aircraft stalled and crashed into the Guanabara Bay. All four crew members and 17 passengers were killed while 16 other occupants were rescued. The aircraft sank and was lost.

Recently owned and operated by the US Air Force under the registration 43-48758, the plane was involved in accident and considered as damaged beyond repair. The aircraft was sold on the spot to Navegação Aérea Brasileira. Mechanics, not qualified for the job, were ordered to repair the aircraft. On September 21 the aircraft was authorized to carry out a 7-minute test flight. The day after, another test flight was planned. Shortly after takeoff on the second test flight, the left main undercarriage would not retract. Two minutes later the gear worked loose and struck the wing which folded upwards. The remaining (right) wing broke up and the airplane crashed vertically into the ground. All three crew members were killed.

The crew was completing a local training flight at Brasília Airport, consisting of touch and go maneuvers. Following several uneventful circuits, the crew started a new descent in poor weather conditions due to heavy rain falls when the wipers failed. As the pilot-in-command lost visual contact with the runway, he decided to open the window that was sheared off and struck the control column. In such conditions, the crew increased power on both engines and attempted a go around when the airplane stalled and crashed in flames few hundred yards short of runway threshold. All three crew members were injured and the aircraft was destroyed by a post crash fire.

Clearance was given for the route segment PPRF - PPKG at the approved altitude of 1 800 metres. Upon reaching the position Nazaré, the pilot descended without clearance to 1 200 metres and passed over the PPKG facility at 1000 metres, or 200 metres below the minimum altitude provided for initiating the procedure as prescribed by the Directorate of Air Routes. Having passed over the facility, the pilot consulted the procedure for PPKG and replaced it in the file. When the copilot asked him whether it should not be kept out, he said no, as he already knew it by heart. The procedure was initiated normally, the aircraft returning on a heading unknown to the Investigating Commission until it was at 520 metres (critical altitude 647 metres), when vertical visual contact with the runway was established; but it was not possible to come in, the aircraft having passed the critical point and being over the runway. The pilot tried to enter the traffic visual, so as not to lose sight of the runway, but this proved impossible on reaching final approach, with the result that the landing starting the return, on heading 200 degrees, he began to descend, turning on the aircraft lights. After a few moments of flight, the copilot tried unsuccessfully to obtain visual reference by looking outside. At this time he felt a violent impact and heard the pilot shout that he was "hitting". Two crew and eleven passengers were killed, and two crew and three passengers were seriously injured in the accident. The inbound heading of 200 degrees observed by the copilot and checked by the Investigating Commission showed that the procedure carried out by the pilot was not in accordance with that indicated in the approach chart approved by the Directorate of Air Routes. It was also found that at the time vertical visual contact with the runway was established, the aircraft was at most 40 metres from the ground, despite the fact that the meteorological information supplied by the Loide station at PPKG was ceiling 130 metres with visibility 6 km.