Date & Time: Jun 21, 1973 at 0426 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas DC-7
Registration:
N296
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Cargo
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Miami - La Romana
MSN:
45466/955
YOM:
1958
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
3
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
3
Captain / Total flying hours:
10000
Captain / Total hours on type:
3000
Copilot / Total flying hours:
1800
Aircraft flight hours:
25827
Circumstances:
The crew was completing a cargo flight from Miami to La Romana on behalf of Warnaco Inc. Shortly after a night takeoff from runway 27L at Miami-Intl Airport, while in initial climb, the crew encountered very bad weather conditions with heavy rain falls and turbulences. The airplane went out of control and crashed nose first in the Everglades National park, about 8,9 NM northwest of the airport. The aircraft was destroyed and all three crew members were killed.
Probable cause:
The loss of aircraft control, due either to turbulence or an in-flight fire or both. Inability of the crew to establish timely radio communications with the departure controller was a factor, because it delayed compliance with thunderstorm avoidance vectors
Final Report:
N296.pdf731.66 KB