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.
Collision with pole or wires
Loss of control
accident date: 16-03-1969
type: McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32
registration: YV-C-AVD
| Status: | |
| Date: | Sunday 16 March 1969 |
| Time: | 12:00 |
| Type: |  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 |
| Miami International Airport, FL (MIA/KMIA), United States of America | |
| Flightnumber: | 742 |
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
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.
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.
languages: 
Venezuela
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- 2nd worst accident (currently)
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