List of accidents and incidents involving the DC-3 in 1955

This is a list of accidents and incidents involving Douglas DC-3 variants that occurred in the year 1955, including aircraft based on the DC-3 airframe, such as the Douglas C-47 Skytrain and Lisunov Li-2. Military accidents are included; and hijackings and incidents of terrorism are covered, although acts of war are outside the scope of this list.

January

• January 12: A Castleton Inc. C-47 (N999B) collided in mid-air with TWA Flight 694, a Martin 2-0-2A, over Cincinnati, Ohio, killing all 15 on board both aircraft.
• January 13: Aeroflot Flight 31 (an Li-2, CCCP-Л5000) crashed near Bykovo due to engine failure caused by sabotage, killing the five crew; the aircraft was operating a Moscow-Gorky-Sverdlovsk cargo service. ^[1]
• January 21: An Indian Airlines C-47A (VT-COZ) struck trees and crashed at Guwahati, India, killing the three crew. The aircraft was operating a Calcutta-Guwahati cargo service. ^[2]
• January 23: Aeroflot Flight 613 (an Li-2T, CCCP-Л4510) crashed near Lipovets, Kagarlyksky district due to an in-flight fire, killing three of 13 on board. The aircraft, operating a Kiev-Simferpol passenger service, had been converted at ARB-411 from a cargo to a combi configuration, but during the conversion, the construction deviated from the standard at ARB-402; the cabin insulation was not fireproof and the ventilation system was not properly assembled. A crew member threw a lit cigarette out the right side cockpit window and it landed inside the ventilation intake; sparks from the cigarette ignited the insulation, starting the fire. ^[3]

February

• February 2: An Indian Airlines C-47A (VT-CVB) crashed at Nagpur, India due to pilot error, killing all 10 on board. The aircraft was operating a Nagpur-Delhi passenger/mail service. ^[4]
• February 23: Central African Airways Flight 626, a C-47B (VP-YKO), overran the runway at Salisbury Airport after smoke entered the cockpit; the number one propeller broke off and penetrated the fuselage, killing the flight engineer; all 21 passengers and four remaining crew survived. The cause of the smoke was traced to a leaking oil hose on the number one engine. ^[5]

March

• March 6: A REAL Transportes Aereos DC-3A (PP-YPZ) crashed at Vitoria da Conquista Airport following an overshoot due to landing gear problems, killing five of 21 on board. ^[6]
• March 8: Mexicana Flight 591, a Douglas DC-3A-228D (XA-DIK), crashed in the Cerro del Cabre mountain range, killing all 26 on board. ^[7]
• March 9: An Avianca C-47A (HK-328) struck Cerro Trujillo, killing all eight on board; the wreckage was found four days later. ^[8]

April

• April 2: A GUSMP Li-2 (CCCP-Н497) crashed on landing near Mys Zhelaniya after the landing gear broke through the ice; all 10 on board were able to escape, but the aircraft could not be recovered and sank four days later during a storm. ^[9]

May

• May 8: Aeroflot Flight 599 (an Li-2, CCCP-Л4098) crashed near Dnepropetrovsk (now Dnipro) due to wing separation in turbulence, killing the four crew. The aircraft was operating a Kiev-Dnepropetrovsk-Zaporozhye cargo service. ^[10]
• May 18: East African Airways Flight 104, a C-47B (VP-KKH) struck Mount Kilimanjaro due to weather and pilot error, killing all 20 on board; the wreckage was found four days later. The accident remains the worst in Tanzania. ^[11]
• May 26: A GUSMP Li-2 (CCCP-Н535) crashed on an ice floe in the central Arctic basin after the right side landing gear struck an ice hummock and broke; the nose touched the ice and the fuselage then split in three after falling back on the ice. All 10 on board survived and were evacuated by another aircraft; the wreckage was set on fire and abandoned. ^[12] The wreckage was sighted by the Icelandic Coast Guard on December 11, 1959.

June

• June 25: Two Indian Air Force C-47's collided in mid-air near Agra, India, killing all 19 on board both aircraft. ^{[13] [14]}

August

• August 26: A Cruzeiro do Sul DC-3A (PP-CBY) struck a mountain in the Serra do Costelo due to ATC error, pilot error and an incorrect chart, killing all 13 on board. ^[15]

September

• September 8: A Currey Air Transport R4D-1 (N74663) crashed at Lockheed Air Terminal while attempting an emergency landing following engine failure, killing three of 33 on board. ^[16]
• September 28: Aeroflot Flight 349 (an Li-2, CCCP-Л4712) crashed near Borovichy due to engine failure and radio problems, killing seven of 19 on board. The engine failure was caused by an oil leak. ^[17]

November

• November 5: A Mexican Government C-47A (XC-ABW) crashed in Lake Texcoco due to engine failure, killing four of 17 on board; the aircraft was rebuilt in the United States and re-registered N1369N; it was then sold to the Brazilian Air Force as FAB2065. ^[18]

December

• December 9: Aeroflot Flight 976 (an Li-2, CCCP-Л4993) disappeared while operating a Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk-Khabarovsk service with 21 on board; the aircraft was found on December 21 on Mount Tordoki Yani, Khabarovsk with no survivors. The aircraft had encountered a severe downdraft and was unable to maintain altitude. ^[19]
• December 9: Aeroflot Flight 101 (an Li-2, CCCP-Л4339) crashed in the Tyumen region due to spatial disorientation of the crew, killing seven of nine on board. The aircraft was operating a Moscow-Petropavlovsk-Sverdlovsk-Ust-Kamenogorsk passenger service. ^[20]
• December 21: Aeroflot Flight 90 (an Li-2, CCCP-Л4981) crashed in a snowy desert 105 km (65 mi) from Balkhash Lake after the pilot became disorientated, killing the six crew. The gyrocompass and autopilot had malfunctioned due to failure of a vacuum regulator. ^[21]
• December 22: A Manx Airlines C-47 (G-AMZC) was being ferried from Isle of Man to Düsseldorf when it struck trees and crashed near Düsseldorf Airport due to pilot error, killing the three crew. ^[22]

See also

List of accidents and incidents involving the DC-3 in the 1950s

References

1. "Crash of a Lisunov Li-2 in Moscow: 5 killed". B3A Archives.
2. Accident descriptionfor VT-COZ at the Aviation Safety Network . Retrieved on 2014-11-12.
3. "Crash of a Lisunov Li-2T in Lipovets: 3 killed". B3A Archives.
4. Accident descriptionfor VT-CVB at the Aviation Safety Network . Retrieved on 2014-11-12.
5. Accident descriptionfor VP-YKO at the Aviation Safety Network . Retrieved on 2014-11-12.
6. Accident descriptionfor PP-YPZ at the Aviation Safety Network . Retrieved on 2014-11-12.
7. Accident descriptionfor XA-DIK at the Aviation Safety Network . Retrieved on 2014-11-12.
8. Accident descriptionfor HK-328 at the Aviation Safety Network . Retrieved on 2014-11-12.
9. Accident descriptionfor CCCP-N497 at the Aviation Safety Network . Retrieved on 2014-11-12.
10. "Crash of a Lisunov Li-2 in Dniepropetrovsk: 4 killed". B3A Archives.
11. Accident descriptionfor VP-KKH at the Aviation Safety Network . Retrieved on 2014-11-12.
12. Accident descriptionfor CCCP-N535 at the Aviation Safety Network . Retrieved on 2014-11-12.
13. Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network . Retrieved on 2014-11-12.
14. Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network . Retrieved on 2014-11-12.
15. Accident descriptionfor PP-CBY at the Aviation Safety Network . Retrieved on 2014-11-12.
16. Accident descriptionfor N74663 at the Aviation Safety Network . Retrieved on 2014-11-12.
17. "Crash of a Lisunov Li-2 in Ozerevo: 7 killed". B3A Archives.
18. Accident descriptionfor XC-ABW at the Aviation Safety Network . Retrieved on 2014-11-12.
19. "Crash of a Lisunov Li-2 on Mt Tordoki Yani: 21 killed". B3A Archives.
20. "Crash of a Lisunov Li-2 near Tyumen: 7 killed". B3A Archives.
21. "Crash of a Lisunov Li-2 near Balkhash Lake: 6 killed". B3A Archives.
22. Accident descriptionfor G-AMZC at the Aviation Safety Network . Retrieved on 2014-11-12.