What happened
A Douglas DC-3, previously owned by the Spanish Air Force and stored at Madrid-Cuatro Vientos Airport, was being relocated to Germany as part of an aviation museum collection. Following its purchase by Kurfiss Aviation in July 1979, the aircraft underwent repairs to facilitate a ferry flight from Madrid to Frankfurt via Perpignan Airport (PGF). A restricted Certificate of Airworthiness had been granted for this specific mission.
On the day of the flight, the crew encountered technical difficulties when a newly installed VHF radio failed to establish two-way communication. The departure was delayed, and the aircraft eventually took off at 15:29 hours. During the takeoff sequence, the aircraft utilized a runway that was not rated for its specific weight and departed without proper authorization.
Due to the aforementioned radio malfunctions, no contact could be maintained with the flight crew. As the aircraft progressed toward the Barcelona region, it encountered extremely low visibility caused by heavy haze and fading daylight. The plane failed to reach its intended destination at Perpignan. Despite the launch of a search operation, no wreckage or debris was located, leading to the presumption that the aircraft crashed into the Mediterranean Sea.
Findings
Because the wreckage of the aircraft was never recovered, investigators were unable to establish a definitive cause for the disappearance.