ASN Aircraft accident McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 YV-C-AVD Maracaibo
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Status:
Date:Sunday 16 March 1969
Time:12:00
Type:Silhouette image of generic DC93 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32
Operating for:VIASA
Leased from:AVENSA
Registration: YV-C-AVD
MSN: 47243/448
First flight: 1969
Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney JT8D-7
Crew:Fatalities: 10 / Occupants: 10
Passengers:Fatalities: 74 / Occupants: 74
Total:Fatalities: 84 / Occupants: 84
Ground casualties:Fatalities: 71
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Aircraft fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:Maracaibo (   Venezuela)
Phase: Initial climb (ICL)
Nature:International Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport:Maracaibo-Grano de Oro Airport (ORO/SVMO), Venezuela
Destination airport:Miami International Airport, FL (MIA/KMIA), United States of America
Flightnumber: 742
Narrative:
VIASA flight 742 was a scheduled service from Caracas (CCS) to Miami (MIA) via Maracaibo (MAR). Prior to departure from Maracaibo, the crew performed the calculations necessary for the takeoff configuration. Faulty temperature sensors along the runway caused the crew to end up with wrong performance data for the planned takeoff. The takeoff roll was longer than planned and the airplane barely climbed, striking powerlines at an approximate height of 150 ft (50 m) above the ground, then plunged into the La Trinidad section of the city. All 84 occupants and 71 people on the ground were killed.
This accident caused the closure of the old Grano de Oro Airport and the accelerated construction and opening of the new La Chinita Airport.

Classification:
Wrong takeoff configuration (flaps/trim)
Collision with pole or wires
Loss of control

Sources:
» Aviation Disasters / D. Gero (p. 88)


Photos

photo of DC-9-32-YV-C-AVD
accident date: 16-03-1969
type: McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32
registration: YV-C-AVD
 

Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Maracaibo-Grano de Oro Airport to Miami International Airport, FL as the crow flies is 1901 km (1188 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.

This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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DC-9-30

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