Total survivors 3 Registration 131582 Passengers 31 | Type Douglas R6D-1 (DC-6A) Flight origin Buenos Aires-Ezeiza Date 25 February 1960 Total fatalities 61 | |
Similar Scandinavian Airlines System Fl, Austrian Airlines Flight 901, Avianca Flight 671, Capital Airlines Flight 20, National Airlines Flight 2511 | ||
The 1960 Rio de Janeiro mid-air collision 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 operating flight 751 from Campos dos Goytacazes to Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont Airport. The crash occurred at 16:10 local time at an altitude of 1,600 meters (5,249 feet).
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 human error, both air and ground, and faulty equipment.