Varig Flight 967 was an international cargo flight from
Narita International Airport
Narita International Airport ( ja, 成田国際空港, Narita Kokusai Kūkō) , also known as Tokyo-Narita, formerly and originally known as , is one of two international airports serving the Greater Tokyo Area, the other one being Haneda Airport ...
in Japan to
Rio de Janeiro–Galeão International Airport
Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil.
Rio or Río may also refer to:
Geography Brazil
* Rio de Janeiro
* Rio do Sul, a ...
in Brazil, with a stopover at
Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport , commonly referred to as LAX (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles, California and its surrounding metropolitan area. LAX is located in the W ...
. On 30 January 1979, the
Boeing 707-323C
The Boeing 707 is an American, long-range, Narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body airliner, the first jetliner developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
Developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype first flown in 1954, the initial first ...
serving the flight
disappeared
An enforced disappearance (or forced disappearance) is the secret abduction or imprisonment of a person by a state or political organization, or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organiza ...
while en route. Neither the aircraft nor its six crew members have ever been found.
Background
Aircraft
The aircraft involved was a
Boeing 707-323C
The Boeing 707 is an American, long-range, Narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body airliner, the first jetliner developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
Developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype first flown in 1954, the initial first ...
, construction number 19235, line number 519,
delivered new to
American Airlines
American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...
and registered N7562A on 31 August 1966, and sold to Varig and delivered (as PP-VLU) on 28 March 1974.
The jet was powered by four
Pratt & Whitney JT3D-3B engines.
Flight crew
The flight crew consisted of Captain Gilberto Araújo da Silva, 55, First Officer Erni Peixoto Mylius, 45, Second Officers Antonio Brasileiro da Silva Neto, 39, Evan Braga Saunders, 37, and Flight Engineers José Severino Gusmão de Araújo, 42, and Nicola Exposito, 40.
In 1973, Captain Araújo da Silva was in charge of flight
RG 820, a Boeing 707 carrying 134 people which crash-landed near
Orly Airport
Paris Orly Airport (french: Aéroport de Paris-Orly), commonly referred to as Orly , is one of two international airports serving the French capital, Paris, the other one being Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). It is located partially in Orly an ...
, in Paris, with 123 fatalities. In 1979, at the time of disappearance, he had more than 23,000 hours logged.
Disappearance
On 30 January 1979, the Boeing 707-323C
registered PP-VLU disappeared en route from Narita International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport. Its ultimate destination was Rio de Janeiro–Galeão International Airport.
The
cargo aircraft
A cargo aircraft (also known as freight aircraft, freighter, airlifter or cargo jet) is a fixed-wing aircraft that is designed or converted for the carriage of air cargo, cargo rather than passenger aircraft, passengers. Such aircraft usually ...
, operated by
Varig
VARIG (acronym for Viação Aérea RIo-Grandense, ''Rio Grandean Airways'') was the first airline founded in Brazil, in 1927. From 1965 until 1990, it was Brazil's leading airline, and virtually its only international one. In 2005, Varig went i ...
, took off at 20:23 from Narita International Airport. Last radio contact with the flight was at 20:45. Flight crew was expected to radio at 21:23, but they did not do so. Radio contact was lost about ENE of Tokyo.
Notably, the cargo included 53 paintings by
Manabu Mabe
(September 14, 1924 – September 22, 1997) was a Japanese- Brazilian painter. Mabe worked as a vendor of hand-painted ties in São Paulo before becoming a famous artist.
In the late 1950s, Mabe won the top award in São Paulo's Contemporary Ar ...
, returning from a Tokyo exhibition, valued at US$1.24 million. Neither the wreck nor the paintings were ever found.
See also
*
List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft
This list of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft includes notable events that have a corresponding Wikipedia article. Entries in this list involve passenger or cargo aircraft that are operating commercially and meet this list ...
*
List of missing aircraft
This list of missing aircraft includes aircraft that have disappeared and whose locations are unknown. According to ''Annex 13'' of the International Civil Aviation Organization, an aircraft is considered to be missing "when the official searc ...
Similar incidents
*
1948 Airborne Transport DC-3 (DST) disappearance
The disappearance of a Douglas DST airliner, Aircraft registration, registered NC16002, occurred on the night of 28 December 1948 near the end of a scheduled flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Miami, Florida. The aircraft carried 29 passenger ...
*
1951 Canadian Pacific Air Lines Douglas DC-4 disappearance
__NOTOC__
The crash of Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 3505 occurred on 21 July 1951 when a Douglas DC-4 four-engined piston airliner registered ''CF-CPC'' of Canadian Pacific Air Lines disappeared on a scheduled flight for the United Nations f ...
*
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''Star Tiger'' (registration G-AHNP) was an Avro Tudor IV passenger aircraft owned and operated by British South American Airways (BSAA) which disappeared without a trace over the Atlantic Ocean while on a flight between Santa Maria in the ...
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Flying Tiger Line Flight 739
Flying Tiger Line Flight 739 was a Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation propliner chartered by the United States military that disappeared on March 16, 1962, over the Western Pacific Ocean. The aircraft was transporting 93 U.S. soldiers and thre ...
* ''
Hawaii Clipper
''Hawaii Clipper'' was one of three Pan American Airways Martin M-130 flying boats. It disappeared with six passengers and nine crew ''en route'' from Guam to Manila, on July 28, 1938.
Trans-Pacific service
Pan American initiated trans-Pacific a ...
''
*
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
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References
{{coord missing, Japan
Accidents and incidents involving the Boeing 707
Aviation accidents and incidents in 1979
967
Year 967 ( CMLXVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Europe
* Spring – Emperor Otto I (the Great) calls for a council at Rome, to present the ne ...
Missing aircraft
Aviation accidents and incidents in Japan
1979 in Japan
January 1979 events in Asia