On April 19, 1960, a Curtiss C-46 Commando (registration HK-390) operated by Lloyd Aéreo Colombiano - LACSA was involved in an aviation accident near Bogotá-El Dorado, Colombia during landing or approach. 37 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot failed to maintain sufficient airspeed and altitude during a turn on final approach. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 1 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
An aircraft crashed short of runway 12 at Bogotá's El Dorado Airport during its final approach, resulting in 37 fatalities.
What happened
During the final approach phase toward runway 12 at El Dorado Airport in Bogotá, an unidentified aircraft experienced a stall. The plane descended rapidly and struck the ground a few kilometers before reaching the runway threshold. The accident resulted in 37 fatalities, which included six members of the flight crew. While many passengers were able to escape the wreckage, fourteen individuals were successfully evacuated from the site.
Findings
Investigations into the crash identified several critical contributing factors. The primary cause was determined to be the pilot's failure to implement necessary maneuvers to recover lost altitude and airspeed while performing a turn during the final approach.
Additional elements that influenced the accident included:
A lack of adequate operational oversight from the operating airlines.
Insufficient flight experience for the pilot in command regarding transport-category aircraft operations.
Potential psychological distress caused by information from the control tower, which had notified the crew that runway access was restricted due to a prior aircraft accident in the safety area.
Probable cause
The pilot failed to maintain sufficient airspeed and altitude during a turn on final approach.