The 1948 Sabena Douglas DC-4 crash occurred on 12 May 1948 when a

Sabena The ''Societé anonyme belge d'Exploitation de la Navigation aérienne'' (French; ), better known by the acronym Sabena or SABENA, was the national airline of Belgium from 1923 to 2001, with its base at Brussels National Airport. After its ba ...

Douglas DC-4 The Douglas DC-4 is an American four-engined (piston), propeller-driven airliner developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. Military versions of the plane, the C-54 and R5D, served during World War II, in the Berlin Airlift and into the 1 ...

crashed 27 km south of

Libenge Libenge is a town in Sud-Ubangi Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The Congolese politician Léon Kengo Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to: Places Europe * León, Spain, capital city of the Province of Le ...

Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (french: Congo belge, ; nl, Belgisch-Congo) was a Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960. The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in 1964. Colo ...

. It was the deadliest accident for Sabena at the time and the second of three deadly Sabena crashes in 1948. It was also the deadliest in Belgian Congo before the country's independence as the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

in 1960. Of the 32 people on board 31 were killed, leaving only one survivor.

Aircraft

The DC-4-1009 involved was built in 1946 and bought new from Douglas with serial number 42932 and registration ''OO-CBE'' and was used by the Belgian airline company Sabena from 17 April 1946 until its destruction in 1948. The aircraft was mostly used in Belgian Congo and carried Regent

Prince Charles of Belgium nl, Karel Theodoor Hendrik Anton Meinrad , image = Karel van België Charles de Belgique Karl von Belgien.jpg , image_size = 230px , spouse = Jacqueline Peyrebrune , issue = Isabelle , birth_date = , birth_place = Bruss ...

back to Belgium on 13 August 1947 after his official visit to Congo.

Crash

The Sabena flight departed from Léopoldville-N'Djili Airport en route to Libenge Airport with 25 passengers and seven crew members on board. Mid-flight, the aircraft mysteriously began to lose control, subsequently plummeting into the rainforest at high speeds.

Probable cause

While above the Congo rainforest, 27 km south of Libenge, at an altitude of , the aircraft probably penetrated a very turbulent line of clouds or flew the aircraft into the active centre of a tornado at a low altitude. The aircraft was probably then forced to the ground by a downward gust. The aircraft hit the tree-tops and left a trail through the forest until it finally crashed, killing all seven crew members and 24 of the 25 passengers. The sole survivor was an Egyptian man.

Aftermath

The wreck was located the following day and the injured sole survivor was rescued. Rescuers searched for more survivors, but it quickly became clear that their efforts were in vain. This crash was the second deadly crash of three involving a Sabena aircraft in 1948.

References

{{Aviation accidents and incidents in 1948 Sabena accidents and incidents Airliner accidents and incidents caused by weather Sabena Douglas DC-4 crash Sabena Douglas DC-4 crash Sabena Douglas DC-4 crash, 1948 Sabena Douglas DC-4 crash Accidents and incidents involving the Douglas DC-4