VASP Flight 141 - Misplaced Pages

1964 aviation accident in Brazil

VASP Flight 141
Accident
The aircraft involved in this accident
Date	September 4, 1964 (1964-09-04)
Summary	Controlled flight into terrain
Site	Pico da Caledônia, Brazil
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Vickers Viscount
Operator	Viação Aérea São Paulo (VASP)
IATA flight No.	VP141
ICAO flight No.	VSP141
Call sign	VASP 141
Registration	PP-SRR
Flight origin	Recife, Brazil
Stopover	Goiabeiras Airport, Brazil
Last stopover	Rio de Janeiro, (Unknown Airport) Brazil
Destination	Sao Pãulo, Brazil
Occupants	39
Passengers	34
Crew	5
Fatalities	39
Survivors	0

On September 4, 1964, VASP Flight 141, a Vickers 701C Viscount, was operating a domestic passenger service between Recife, Brazil, to São Paulo, 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 had 6787 total flight hours, with 428 flight hours on this type, while the copilot had 5945 flight hours, with 433 on this type.

Flight

The aircraft took off from the Vitória-Goiabeiras Airport at 6:45 p.m., GMT, and immediately climbed to 1,800 metres (5,900 feet). 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, 43 kilometres (27 miles) from Rio Bonito. One minute later, the aircraft crashed into the west slope of the Pico da Caledônia mountain at an altitude of 1,950 m (6,400 ft). Eyewitnesses saw the plane bursting and on flames. The probable cause determined by the Aeronautical Accidents Investigation and Prevention Center (CENIPA) was unknown.

Aftermath and legacy

The accident was found by a Brazilian Air Force 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

^ "Crash of a Vickers 701C Viscount near Nova Friburgo: 39 killed". Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
^ Ranter, Harro. "Accident Vickers 701C Viscount PP-SRR, Friday 4 September 1964". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
^ "Brazilian Plane Down, 39 Aboard". The Associated Press. The Patriot-News. September 5, 1964. p. 2. Retrieved January 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com. The wreckage was spotted by Brazilian Air Force search plane on Nova Caledonia Mountain; Of the 34 passengers, 18. hoarded in Vitoria, six at Recife, where the flight originated and a large rescue; Nearby residents were asked to stand by to donate blood that might be used if any survivors were found.
Air Crash on Peak. The Sydney Morning Herald. September 5, 1964.
^ Search for Plane Wreckage. Saskatoon Star-Phoenix. September 5, 1964.
39 Feared Dead in Crash. The Calgary Herald. September 5, 1964.
39 Feared Dead in Brazilian Plane Crash. The Montreal Gazette. September 5, 1964.
Airliner Carrying 39 Down. St. Joseph News-Press. September 5, 1964.
Airliner Crash in Brazil Kills All 39 Aboard. The Washington Observer. September 5, 1964.
"Plane With 39 Aboard Goes Down Near Rio". The Charlotte Observer. September 5, 1964. p. 2. Retrieved January 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com. The air ministry said the plane crashed about 4 EDT "erroneous and ruinous".

v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in Brazil
1920s–1940s	Dornier J Santos Dumont crash (December 1928) Pan Am Sikorsky S-43 crash (August 1939)
1950s	Panair do Brasil Flight 099 (July 1950) Rio do Sal Linhas Aéreas Paulistas C-47 crash (July 1951) Pan Am Flight 202 (April 1952) Transportes Aéreos Nacional Douglas C-47 mid-air fire (August 1952) Begé VARIG Commando crash (April 1957) Lufthansa Flight 502 (January 1959)
1960s	Rio de Janeiro mid-air collision (February 1960) Real Transportes Aéreos Flight 435 (June 1960) Aerolíneas Argentinas Flight 322 (November 1961) Paraná da Eva Panair do Brasil Lockheed Constellation crash (December 1962) Serviços Aéreos Cruzeiro do Sul Flight 144 (May 1963) VASP Flight 141 (September 1964)
1970s	Paraense Transportes Aéreos Flight 903 (March 1970) Lufthansa Cargo Flight 527 (July 1979)
1980s	Transbrasil Flight 303 (April 1980) Barra do Garças air disaster (June 1980) VASP Flight 234 (May 1982) VASP Flight 168 (June 1982) TABA Fairchild FH-227 accident (June 1982) TAM Transportes Aéreos Regionais Bandeirante crash (June 1984) VASP Flight 210 (January 1986) Brazilian UFO incident (May 1986) VASP Flight 375 (September 1988) Transbrasil Flight 801 (March 1989) Varig Flight 254 (September 1989)
1990s	TAM Transportes Aéreos Regionais Flight 402 (October 1996)
2000s	TAM Airlines Flight 9755 (September 2001) Rico Linhas Aéreas Flight 4823 (August 2002) Total Linhas Aéreas Flight 5561 (September 2002) Rico Linhas Aéreas Flight 4815 (May 2004) TEAM Linhas Aéreas Flight 6865 (March 2006) Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907 (September 2006) TAM Airlines Flight 3054 (July 2007) Manaus Aerotáxi Embraer Bandeirante crash (February 2009) Air France Flight 447 (June 2009)*
2010s	Noar Linhas Aéreas Flight 4896 (July 2011) Santos Cessna Citation crash (August 2014) São Paulo helicopter crash (February 2019)
2020s	Palmas FR plane crash (January 2021) Piedade de Caratinga Beechcraft King Air crash (November 2021) Manaus Aerotáxi Embraer Bandeirante crash (September 2023) Rio Branco Cessna Grand Caravan crash (October 2023) Voepass Flight 2283 (August 2024) Total Linhas Aéreas Flight 5682 (November 2024) 2024 Gramado Piper PA-42 crash (December 2024)
* Occurred in international waters

v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in 1964 (1964)
Jan 13 Savage Mountain B-52 crashJan 28 T-39 shootdownFeb 25 Eastern Air Lines Flight 304Feb 29 British Eagle International Airlines Flight 802/6Mar 1 Paradise Airlines Flight 901AApr 5 Machida F-8 crashApr 17 Middle East Airlines Flight 444May 7 Pacific Air Lines Flight 773May 20 Philippine Air Lines Flight F26Jun 20 Civil Air Transport Flight 106Jul 9 United Air Lines Flight 823Sep 2 Aeroflot Flight 721Sep 4 VASP Flight 141Oct 2 Mt. Alcazaba UTA Douglas DC-6 crashNov 15 Bonanza Air Lines Flight 114Nov 20 Linjeflyg Flight 267VNov 23 TWA Flight 800Dec 24 Flying Tiger Line Flight 282
1963 ◄ ► 1965

Aviation accidents and incidents in 1964 (1964)

Jan 13 Savage Mountain B-52 crashJan 28 T-39 shootdownFeb 25 Eastern Air Lines Flight 304Feb 29 British Eagle International Airlines Flight 802/6Mar 1 Paradise Airlines Flight 901AApr 5 Machida F-8 crashApr 17 Middle East Airlines Flight 444May 7 Pacific Air Lines Flight 773May 20 Philippine Air Lines Flight F26Jun 20 Civil Air Transport Flight 106Jul 9 United Air Lines Flight 823Sep 2 Aeroflot Flight 721Sep 4 VASP Flight 141Oct 2 Mt. Alcazaba UTA Douglas DC-6 crashNov 15 Bonanza Air Lines Flight 114Nov 20 Linjeflyg Flight 267VNov 23 TWA Flight 800Dec 24 Flying Tiger Line Flight 282

1963 ◄ ► 1965

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