Incident Overview
Date: Friday 26 December 1958
Aircraft Type: Douglas DC-6B
Owner/operator: Union Aromaritime de Transport
Registration Number: F-BGTZ
Location: Salisbury Airport (HRE) –
ÿ Zimbabwe
Phase of Flight: Take off
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 70
Component Affected: Aircraft structureAircraft structure
Category: Accident
An UAT DC-6 aircraft experienced a catastrophic loss of altitude and airspeed during flight from Johannesburg to Paris via Salisbury (now Harare, Brazzaville, and Nice). The aircraft struck the ground shortly after takeoff, resulting in fire.An UAT DC-6 aircraft experienced a catastrophic loss of altitude and airspeed during flight from Johannesburg to Paris via Salisbury (now Harare, Brazzaville, and Nice). The aircraft struck the ground shortly after takeoff, resulting in fire.
Description
The UAT DC-6 was operating on a flight from Johannesburg to Paris via Salisbury (now Harare), Brazzaville and Nice. The aircraft took off from Salisbury runway 24 at 12:52 and climbed to a height of 50 feet. The plane then began to lose height and airspeed, despite full power and flaps at 20 degrees. The DC-6 struck the ground and caught fire. PROBABLE CAUSE: “The aircraft struck the ground shortly after takeoff as a result of an uncontrollable loss of airspeed and height due to a sudden squall accompanying the onset of a thunderstorm.”
Primary Cause
Sudden squall accompanying the onset of a thunderstorm caused an uncontrollable loss of airspeed and height.Sudden squall accompanying the onset of a thunderstorm caused an uncontrollable loss of airspeed and height.Share on:
