On September 4, 1964, VASP Flight 141, a Vickers 701C Viscount, was operating a domestic passenger service between

Recife Recife ( , ) is the Federative units of Brazil, state capital of Pernambuco, Brazil, on the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of South America. It is the largest urban area within both the North Region, Brazil, North and the Northeast R ...

, Brazil, to

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

, Brazil, with two stopovers. During the second flight of the day, the aircraft impacted mountainous terrain, killing all 39 occupants onboard.

Background

Aircraft

The aircraft involved was a Vickers Viscount 701C, registered as PP-SRR with serial number 66. It had logged a total of 17165 airframe hours and was manufactured in 1955. This accident was the 49th hull-loss accident of the same aircraft at the time, the 32nd fatal accident of this type, the 16th worst accident of the type and the 6th at the time.

Passengers and crew

There were 34 passengers and 5 crew members. Of the 34 passengers, 18 originated from Vitoria and 6 from Recife. The

pilot in command The pilot in command (PIC) of an aircraft is the person aboard an aircraft who is ultimately responsible for its operation and safety during flight. This would be the captain in a typical two- or three- pilot aircrew, or "pilot" if there is only ...

had logged a total of 6,787 total flight hours, with 428 flight hours on the

Vickers Viscount The Vickers Viscount is a retired British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs. A design requirement from the Brabazon Committee, it entered service in 1953 and was the first turboprop-powered airliner. T ...

, while the

copilot In aviation, the first officer (FO), also called co-pilot, is a Aircraft pilot, pilot in addition to the Pilot in command, captain, who is the legal commander. In the event of incapacitation of the captain, the first officer will assume command ...

had logged 5,945 flight hours, with 433 on the Vickers Viscount.

Flight

The aircraft took off from the Vitória-Goiabeiras Airport at 6:45 p.m., GMT, and immediately climbed to . The last contact of the plane was when the crew asked Rio de Janeiro airport control for emergency landing preparations. At 7:33 p.m., the aircraft reported over Rio Bonito when the aircraft was actually over

Nova Friburgo Nova Friburgo (; ; ), commonly referred to as just Friburgo, is a List of municipalities in Rio de Janeiro, municipality in the state of Rio de Janeiro (state), Rio de Janeiro in southeastern Brazil. It is located in the mountainous region, in th ...

, from Rio Bonito. One minute later, the aircraft crashed into the west slope of the Pico da Caledônia mountain at an altitude of . Eyewitnesses saw the plane bursting and on flames. The probable cause determined by the

Aeronautical Accidents Investigation and Prevention Center The Aeronautical Accidents Investigation and Prevention Center (, CENIPA) is a unit of the Brazilian Air Force that investigates aviation accidents and incidents in Brazil. It is headquartered in Brasília. See also * Gol Transportes Aéreos Fl ...

(CENIPA) was unknown.

Aftermath and legacy

The accident was found by a

Brazilian Air Force The Brazilian Air Force (, FAB) is the air branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces and one of the three national uniformed services. The FAB was formed when the Brazilian Brazilian Army Aviation (1919–1941), Army and Brazilian Naval Aviation, Nav ...

search plane. After the discovery, a large rescue operation was initiated. Villagers were told to donate blood if any survivors were found. Helicopters stood by parachute rescuers to find survivors. Approximately nine ambulances were sent to the location. Rains swept the mountains with heavy fog. Only a few trails lead up the mountain. The local air ministry said that the accident was "erroneous and ruinous".

References

{{Aviation accidents and incidents in 1964 Aviation accidents and incidents in 1964 Accidents and incidents involving the Vickers Viscount 141