On September 27, 1946, a Douglas DC-3 (registration PP-PCH) operated by Panair do Brasil was involved in an aviation accident near Rio Doce, Brazil in flight. 25 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The aircraft struck mountainous terrain while flying at an insufficient altitude during poor visibility and low cloud conditions. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
An aircraft crashed into a mountainside near Rio Doce while en route to Rio de Janeiro, resulting in the deaths of all 25 people on board due to low altitude and poor visibility.
What happened
The incident occurred during a flight from Belo Horizonte-Pampulha to Santos Dumont Airfield in Rio de Janeiro. The departure airport had been closed earlier in the day because of heavy rainfall but resumed operations in the afternoon. Approximately thirty minutes after takeoff, the crew faced deteriorating weather conditions characterized by low cloud ceilings and reduced visibility. While navigating through this environment, the aircraft was flying at an altitude that was insufficient for safe terrain clearance. The machine subsequently struck the slope of a mountain situated near Rio Doce. All 25 occupants on board were killed in the impact.
Findings
The crash resulted from the aircraft impacting terrain while operating below the minimum safe altitude. Contributing factors included poor visibility and a low cloud base encountered shortly after departure. The closure of the origin airport due to rain prior to the flight suggests that weather conditions were a significant element in the operational environment at the time of the accident.
Probable cause
The aircraft struck mountainous terrain while flying at an insufficient altitude during poor visibility and low cloud conditions.
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