Date & Time:
Jan 25, 1945 at 0600 LT
Type of aircraft:
Lockheed C-60 LodeStar
Operator:
Registration:
60-01
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Government
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
18-2539
YOM:
1943
Country:
Mexico
Region:
Central America
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
2
Pax on board:
8
Pax fatalities:
7
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
9
Circumstances:
The crew started the takeoff procedure by night and in foggy conditions. Shortly after rotation, the twin engine aircraft failed to climb properly, hit a perimeter fence and crashed in flames in a field located near the Balbuena District. Two crew members and seven passengers were killed, among them the Ambassador of Soviet Union in Mexico, Constantino Oumansky who was travelling to Costa Rica with his wife and his staff. Both survivors were the flight engineer Manuel Noble Mercado and the passenger Marión Troyinsky.
Crew:
Cpt Roque Velazco Cerón, pilot, †
Cpt Hilario Romero Martínez, pilot, †
Manuel Noble Mercado, flight engineer.
Crew:
Cpt Roque Velazco Cerón, pilot, †
Cpt Hilario Romero Martínez, pilot, †
Manuel Noble Mercado, flight engineer.
Probable cause:
According to the Mexican Authorities, the accident was caused by a wrong takeoff configuration on part of the crew that flew at a too low altitude after rotation.
