Varig Flight 837

1967 aviation accident

6°12′25″N 10°22′44″W / 6.207°N 10.37897°W / 6.207; -10.37897Total fatalities56 (5 ground fatalities)AircraftAircraft typeDouglas DC-8-33OperatorVarigRegistrationPP-PEAFlight originFiumicino – Leonardo da Vinci International Airport, Rome, ItalyStopoverRoberts International Airport, Monrovia, LiberiaDestinationGaleão International Airport, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilPassengers71Crew19Fatalities51Survivors39Ground casualtiesGround fatalities5

Varig Flight 837 was a flight from Fiumicino Airport, Rome, Italy to Galeão International Airport, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with stops in Beirut, Lebanon, and Monrovia, Liberia. On 5 March 1967, due to pilot error, the flight crashed during approach to Runway 04 of Roberts International Airport.[1] Of the 71 passengers and 19 crew on board, 50 passengers and the flight engineer perished. In addition, 5 people on the ground were also killed. The aircraft caught fire and was written off. This is the worst aviation accident in Liberia to this day.[2][3]

Investigators determined the probable cause of the crash to be "The failure of the pilot-in-command to arrest in time the fast descent at a low altitude upon which he had erroneously decided, instead of executing a missed approach when he found himself too high over the locator beacon."[4]

References

  1. ^ "GI survives plane crash fatal to 56". Telegraph-Herald. Dubuque, Iowa. Associated Press. 5 March 1967. p. 15.
  2. ^ "Liberia accident history at Aviation Safety Network". Retrieved 28 August 2012.
  3. ^ da Silva, Germano; Ari César, Carlos (2008). "Armadilha na aproximação" [Trap on approach]. O rastro da bruxa: história da aviação comercial brasileira no século XX através dos seus acidentes 1928–1996 [The witch's trail: history of Brazilian commercial aviation in the 20th century through its accidents 1928–1996] (in Portuguese) (2 ed.). Porto Alegre: EDIPUCRS. pp. 249–255. ISBN 978-85-7430-760-2.
  4. ^ "Accident description at Aviation Safety Network". Retrieved 14 January 2010.

External links

  • Varig Airlines Flight 837 at Airdisaster.com[usurped]
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Jan 14
Aeroflot Flight 5003
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Varig Flight 837
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