Crash of a Douglas C-47A-10-DK in Kimbwe: 13 killed

Date & Time: Aug 31, 1948 at 1200 LT
Operator:
Registration:
OO-CBL
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Manono – Elisabethville
MSN:
12420
YOM:
1944
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
9
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
13
Aircraft flight hours:
3040
Circumstances:
On approach to Elisabethville in goo weather conditions, the aircraft went out of control, dove into the ground and crashed in Kimbwe, few km northwest of E'ville Airport. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 13 occupants were killed. At the time of the accident, weather conditions were considered as good with few clouds, no turbulence and good visibility.
Crew:
Arthur Deschamps, pilot,
Raoul Gousseau, pilot,
Englebert Rillaerts, flight engineer,
Antoine Tshisahu, steward.
Probable cause:
Investigations were unable to determine the exact cause of the accident. However, the following assumptions have been ruled out: in flight fire, loss of element such as wing or stabilizer and/or any airframe vibration which might have come from a faulty weight balance.

Crash of a Lockheed C-60A-5-LO LodeStar in Wadi Halfa

Date & Time: Jul 27, 1948
Type of aircraft:
Registration:
OO-GVP
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
18-2320
YOM:
1943
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
9
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Just after liftoff, the twin engine aircraft stalled and crashed in flames. All 14 occupants were quickly rescued while the aircraft was destroyed by a post crash fire. The crew was completing a flight from Belgian Congo to Brussels via Sudan.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-75-DL in Gore

Date & Time: Jul 22, 1948
Operator:
Registration:
ET-T-5
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
19416
YOM:
1944
Location:
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
After landing, the aircraft failed to stop within the remaining runway, overran and hit some rocks. While there were no casualties, the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. For unknown reason, the aircraft landed too far down the runway.

Crash of an Avro 652 Anson I near Merka

Date & Time: Jul 1, 1948
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
VP-KDW
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Crashed in unknown circumstances 15 miles from Merka. Both crew members survived while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of an Avro 652 Anson I in Merka

Date & Time: Jun 23, 1948
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
VP-KEM
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Crashed in unknown circumstances in Merka, some 70 km southwest of Mogadishu. The pilot was unhurt while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. The exact date of the occurrence remains uncertain.

Crash of an Airspeed AS.65 Consul near El Alamein

Date & Time: May 24, 1948
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
G-AIOU
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Schedule:
Croydon – Cairo
MSN:
4355
YOM:
1946
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Enroute, the pilot encountered an unexpected situation and was forced to make an emergency landing in a desert area located about 26 km south of El Alamein. All four occupants were rescued while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Douglas C-49K in Mt Spitzkop : 13 killed

Date & Time: May 15, 1948 at 0720 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
ZS-BWY
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Durban – Johannesburg – London
MSN:
6341
YOM:
1943
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
8
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
13
Circumstances:
The aircraft left Durban in the early morning on a flight to London via Johannesburg. While cruising in poor weather conditions, the aircraft hit the slope of Mt Spitzkop located 32 km south of Vrede, in the Witkoppens Mountain Range. All 13 occupants were killed. At the time of the accident, the aircraft was off track by eight miles, probably due to navigational error on part of the crew, caused by the lack of visibility due to poor weather conditions.

Crash of a Douglas DC-4-1009 in Magazini: 31 killed

Date & Time: May 13, 1948 at 1100 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
OO-CBE
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Johannesburg – Léopoldville – Libenge – Brussels
MSN:
42932
YOM:
1946
Region:
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
25
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
31
Circumstances:
The four engine aircraft left Léopoldville Airport at 0805LT bound for Libenge. About three hours later, as he started the descent to Libenge, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with heavy rain falls, low clouds and turbulence. While descending at an altitude of 700 feet, the aircraft went out of control and crashed in a wooded area located near the village of Magazini, some 27 km south of Libenge. A passenger was seriously injured while 31 other occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Loss of control caused by severe turbulence and/or downdraft while flying in poor weather conditions.

Crash of a Douglas DC-4-1009 in Kano: 1 killed

Date & Time: Apr 10, 1948 at 0833 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
F-BBDC
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Lagos – Kano – Algiers – Paris
MSN:
42935
YOM:
1946
Location:
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Circumstances:
Following the failure of the starter on engine number one, the crew was unable to restart this engine and received the authorization to perform an empty leg back to Paris for maintenance purposes. During the takeoff roll in Kano Airport, the aircraft went out of control and veered off runway before colliding with a BOAC technical hangar. A crew member was killed while five others were injured. The aircraft was destroyed. Pilots : Mr. Salvetat & Marchandise.
Probable cause:
Important skid marks were noted on the runway, coming from the nose wheel that was locked at the time of the accident. Apparently, the crew failed to follow the pre-flight checklist and did not realized the nose wheel was not configured for the takeoff procedure.