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1952 Bermuda air crash

Coordinates: 32°24′04″N 64°36′43″W / 32.4011°N 64.6119°W / 32.4011; -64.6119
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1952 Bermuda air crash
A Douglas DC-4 similar to the accident aircraft
Accident
Date6 December 1952
SummaryLost control and crashed after takeoff; cause undetermined
SiteBermuda
Aircraft
Aircraft typeDouglas DC-4
OperatorCubana de Aviación
RegistrationCU-T397
Flight originKindley Air Force Base now L.F. Wade International Airport, Bermuda
DestinationJosé Martí International Airport, Cuba
Occupants41
Passengers33
Crew8
Fatalities37
Injuries4
Survivors4

The 1952 Bermuda air crash occurred on 6 December 1952, when a Douglas DC-4, registered CU-T397 and operated by Cubana de Aviación, flying from Madrid to Havana,[1] crashed into the Atlantic Ocean following a refuelling stop at Kindley Air Force Base in Bermuda. There were 33 passengers and 8 crew on board the aircraft. The flight arrived at Kindley Air Force Base at 03:30.[1] After an hour's stopover spent refuelling the aircraft, the DC-4 departed; at 04:45, during the initial climb, the aircraft stalled, lost height and crashed tail first into the sea. The accident killed 37 passengers and crew; three passengers and a crew-member survived the crash,[1] and were rescued shortly after the crash.

Bermuda's Director of Civil Aviation, E. M. Ware, said at the time that the take-off apparently had been normal. It is believed no message came from the plane before it plunged into the sea, probably while still pushing the engines hard to gain altitude. Four survivors were taken to the Kindley base hospital.

The cause of the accident was not determined;[citation needed] it remains the worst aviation accident in Bermudian history.[1]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d "ASN Aircraft Accident: Douglas DC-4 CU-T397 Bermuda-Kindley Field (BDA)". Air Safety Network. Flight Safety Foundation. 16 April 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2011.

32°24′04″N 64°36′43″W / 32.4011°N 64.6119°W / 32.4011; -64.6119