Date & Time:
Nov 23, 1961 at 0540 LT
Type of aircraft:
De Havilland DH.106 Comet
Operator:
Registration:
LV-AHR
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Buenos Aires – Campinas – Port of Spain – New York
MSN:
6430
YOM:
1960
Flight number:
AR322
Country:
Brazil
Region:
South America
Crew on board:
12
Crew fatalities:
12
Pax on board:
40
Pax fatalities:
40
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
52
Captain / Total hours on type:
1612
Copilot / Total hours on type:
1074
Aircraft flight hours:
5242
Circumstances:
Less than two minutes after takeoff from Campinas-Viracopos Airport, at an altitude of 100 meters, the airplane struck trees, stalled and crashed in eucalyptus forest. The airplane was totally destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and all 52 occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
It was presumed that the co-pilot was under flight instruction. If such was the case, the instructor, who was pilot-in-command, may have failed to brief or supervise the co-pilot properly. Observations of the Government of Argentina as State of Registry: "Argentina has determined, in the light of information it has gathered, that the cause of the accident was: "Failure to operate under IFR during a takeoff by night in weather conditions requiring IFR operation and failure to follow the climb procedure for this type of aircraft; a contributory cause was the lack of vigilance by the pilot-in-command during the operations."
Final Report:
LV-AHR.pdf1.67 MB
