Date & Time:
Jul 16, 1956 at 0717 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
LV-ACD
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Buenos Aires – Río Cuarto
MSN:
13328
YOM:
1944
Country:
Argentina
Region:
South America
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
4
Pax on board:
14
Pax fatalities:
14
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
18
Circumstances:
The airplane departed Buenos Aires at 0515LT bound for Río Cuarto. Less than two hours into the flight, the crew contacted Río Cuarto and was informed about poor weather at destination. Despite conditions below minima, the pilot decided to start an IFR descent when the airplane struck the slope of a mountain and disintegrated on impact, killing all 18 occupants.
Probable cause:
The decision of the pilot to descend en route, without justifiable reason, below the minimum altitude prescribed for a night flight, and in weather conditions which made it his duty to follow IFR procedure a contributing cause probably being an error between control tower and aircraft in the transmission or interpretation of barometric pressure of QFE and QNH values.
