1960 Rio de Janeiro air crash

The 1960 Rio de Janeiro air crash was an aerial collision between two aircraft over Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on February 25, 1960. In the crash, a United States Navy Douglas R6D-1 (DC-6A) (BuNo 131582) flying from Buenos Aires - Ezeiza to Rio de Janeiro-Galeão Air Force Base collided in the air over Guanabara Bay, close to the Sugarloaf Mountain with a Real Transportes Aéreos Douglas DC-3 registration PP-AXD, which was flying from Campos dos Goytacazes to Rio de Janeiro - Santos Dumont Airport. The crash occurred at 13:07 local time at an altitude of 1,600 meters (5,249 feet).^[1][2]

The US Navy aircraft was carrying members of the United States Navy Band to Brazil to perform at a diplomatic reception attended by US President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Of the 38 occupants of the American aircraft, 3 survived. All 26 passengers and crew of the Brazilian aircraft died. The probable causes of the accident are disputed but include error of personnel, both air and ground, and faulty equipment.

References

Bibliography

• Aviation Safety Network, "1960", Flight Safety Foundation, October 17, 2007.
• "Eisenhower's Tour of Latin America, 61 Die in Air Crash", Facts on File: World News Digest, March 2, 1960.
• Pereira, Aldo (1987). Breve história da aviação comercial brasileira. Europa Empresa Gráfica e Editora.  (in Portuguese)
• Ruane, Michael E., "Friends, Musicians Honor Victims Of 1960 Navy Band Crash", Washington Post, February 26, 2010, Pg. B1.