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Douglas DC-8-51/-52/-53 accident report
KLM had started a partnership with the Venezuelan VIASA and lent a DC-8-53 to this carrier. On May 30, 1961, the brand new PH-DCL "
Fridtjof Nansen
" c/n 45615 in service of VIASA crashed. It was with 47 passengers and 14 crew members on its way from Rome to Caracas, via Madrid, Lisbon and the Azores. After the nightly start of Portelo RW23 near Lisbon, the aircraft fell into severe thunderstorms. It crashed 5 minutes after the start, 7km south of the LS radio beacon Caparcia, 3.5km off the coast near the town of Fonte de Telha into the sea. South of the Tagus estuary, in Caparica Bay in 30m deep water. All occupants are killed. 75% of the wreck was recovered. The aircraft had only made 193 flight hours. The cause of the disaster has never been fully clarified. Perhaps the artificial horizon has failed. Location : +-1km
38°34'11"N 9°13'39"W
Thursday 30 March 1967 Delta Airlines Douglas DC-8-51 N802E s/n 45409
Training flight DL9877 from New Orleans (MSY) with 6 crew and no passengers.
During engine-out training approach suddenly control was lost and the aircraft crashed into a residential area, destroying several houses and an motel.
First flight : 1959 Airframe hrs : 23391 engines : JT3D-1 (engine TBO 4500 hrs+). The six crew died in the crash and 13 people on the ground were killed. location : +- 100m 29°5847N 90°1523W
JA8012 at New York JFK apt, July 1970
On June 14, 1972, the DC-8-53 JA8012 Akan c/n 45680 of the JAL crashed near New Delhi. Had taken off with 76 passengers and 11 crew members in Bangkok (BKK) as flight 471 to Delhi. Plane makes an approach to RW28 Delhi Palam airport (DEL) but crashes into bank of the Yamuna river 20km east of the airport. 82 passengers are killed and 4 people on the ground.
The aircraft had made its first flight in 1964. According to the Japanese, the accident was caused by a wrong ILS signal. However, the Indian authorities placed the blame on the crew, who would have followed a wrong approach procedure and misinterpreted their instruments. Location +-100m 28°32'04.44"N 77°19'44.11"E
EC-ARA on short final to RWY 01 Arlanda apt., Stockholm, February 1969
On July 06, 1972, the DC-8-52 EC-ARA c/n 45617 of AVIACO plunges into the Atlantic Ocean, 22.5km east of Las Plamas, Canary Islands. Performed a re-position flight 331 from Madrid (MAD) to Las Palmas (LPA) and had no passengers on board, only 10 crew members, all of whom died.
1st flight 1961 Location : +-500m 28°08'57"N 15°11'46"W
4 fatal accidents with 163 fatalities between 1961 and 1972
safe flight hours till fatality : 25390 [hr] (8 service years)
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