Incident Overview
Date: Thursday 2 May 1974
Aircraft Type: Douglas C-47 (DC-3)
Owner/operator: Aerotaxis Ecuatorianos SA – ATESA
Registration Number: HC-AUC
Location: 7 km S of Banos –
ÿ Ecuador
Phase of Flight: En route
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 20 / Occupants: 25
Component Affected: Aircraft left wingAircraft left wing
Category: Accident
An aircraft departing Pastaza at 19:13 climbed to FL115 and continued over the Banos canyon, maintaining a minimum safety altitude of FL125. A left wing strike on the side of the Tungurahua Volcano, obscured by stratus clouds, resulted in the aircraft’s loss of control and crash landing at 11200 feet.An aircraft departing Pastaza at 19:13 climbed to FL115 and continued over the Banos canyon, maintaining a minimum safety altitude of FL125. A left wing strike on the side of the Tungurahua Volcano, obscured by stratus clouds, resulted in the aircraft’s loss of control and crash landing at 11200 feet.
Description
The aircraft departed Pastaza at 19:13 and climbed to an altitude of FL115. The crew continued over the Banos canyon at FL115, the minimum safety altitude being FL125. The left wing of the aircraft struck the side of the Tungurahua Volcano, shrouded by a low layer of stratus clouds, and separated. The aircraft crashed out of control and was found the following day at 11200 feet. PROBABLE CAUSE: Failure to climb to the minimum safety altitude; failure to maintain a 275deg heading from Rio Negro to Banos; overconfidence of the pilot-in-command; possible distraction of the flight crew due to the presence of a tourist guide in the cockpit.
Primary Cause
Failure to climb to the minimum safety altitude; failure to maintain a 275deg heading from Rio Negro to Banos; overconfidence of the pilot-in-command; possible distraction of the flight crew due to the presence of a tourist guide in the cockpit.Failure to climb to the minimum safety altitude; failure to maintain a 275deg heading from Rio Negro to Banos; overconfidence of the pilot-in-command; possible distraction of the flight crew due to the presence of a tourist guide in the cockpit.Share on:
