Medellin plane crash of 1935
Aftermath of the accident.
Accident
DateJune 24, 1935 (1935-06-24)
SummaryRunway excursion and collision following a loss of control
SiteMedellín-Enrique Olaya Herrera Airport, Colombia
Total fatalities17
Total survivors3
First aircraft

A Ford 5-AT-B Trimotor, similar to the aircraft involved in the accident.
TypeFord 5-AT-B Trimotor
OperatorServicio Aéreo Colombiano - SACO
RegistrationF-31
Flight originMedellín-Enrique Olaya Herrera Airport (EOH), Colombia
DestinationBogotá Eldorado Airport (BOG), Colombia
Passengers11
Crew2
Survivors3
Second aircraft

A Ford 5-AT-B Trimotor, similar to the aircraft involved in the accident.
TypeFord 5-AT-B Trimotor
OperatorSCADTA
RegistrationC-31
Flight originMedellín-Enrique Olaya Herrera Airport (EOH), Colombia
DestinationBogotá Eldorado Airport (BOG), Colombia
Passengers4
Crew3
Survivors0

The Medellin plane crash of 1935 was an accident involving two Ford 5-AT-B Trimotor aircraft at Olaya Herrera Airport in Medellín, Colombia on June 24, 1935, killing all but 3 of the 20 people involved.[1]

Crew

The first aircraft (F-31) was under the command of Captain Ernesto Samper Mendoza (Great-uncle of Colombian President Ernesto Samper) and a First Officer. While the second plane consisted of Captain Hans Ulrich Thom and First Officer Hartmann Fuerst.[1]

Carlos Gardel in 1923.

Accident

The SACO F-31 plane was scheduled to take off from Olaya Herrera Airport in Medellín, Colombia at 2:51 pm on June 24, 1935, on a scheduled flight to Bogotá, Colombia, carrying 2 crew and 11 passengers including famous Argentine singer Carlos Gardel and his entourage. F-31 started accelerating down the runway, when it suddenly started to swerve before losing control. It veered off the runway and collided with a taxiing aircraft (C-31, nicknamed Manizales), an explosion followed which engulfed both planes in flames. All passengers and crew on the taxiing C-31 were killed in the accident, while only 3 aboard F-31 survived with various injuries. Carlos Gardel was killed in the crash.[2]

Aircraft

The Ford 5-AT-B Trimotors involved were built in 1928 and 1932 respectively. The aircraft were in use of Servicio Aéreo Colombiano - SACO and SCADTA at the time of the accident.[1]

Aftermath

Funeral Procession of Gardel in Buenos Aires.

Both aircraft were destroyed in the accident, while all but three of the 20 occupants of the flights were killed. An investigation of the accident revealed that the SACO F-31 flight lost control following strong lateral winds in combination with irregularities in the surface of the runway, that led the left main gear to leave the ground before rotation.[3] A funeral procession was held for Gardel in Buenos Aires while a memorial was erected for him at the airport. The last survivor of the disaster Josep Plaja Gasch Joe, died on September 11, 1982.

Monument for Gardel at the site of the accident.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Accident Description". aviation-safety.net. 1996. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  2. "CRASH OF A FORD 5 IN MEDELLIN: 7 KILLED". baaa-acro.com. 1990. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  3. "CRASH OF A FORD 5 IN MEDELLÍN: 10 KILLED". baaa-acro.com. 1990. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
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