| - | ACCIDENT DETAILS |
| Date: | January 11, 1959 |
| Time: | 1117 |
| Location: | Rio de Janerio, Brazil |
| Operator: | Lufthansa |
| Flight #: | 502 |
| Route: | Hamburg-Frankfurt-Paris-Lisbon-Dakar-Senegal-Rio Janerio |
| AC Type: | Lockheed L 1049G Super Constillation |
| Registration: | D-ALAK |
| cn / ln: | 4602 |
| Aboard: | 39 (passengers:29 crew:10) |
| Fatalities: | 36 (passengers:29 crew:7) |
| Ground: | 0 |
| Summary: | Twenty minutes out of Rio de Janerio, the crew was cleared to descend from 14,000 to 10,000 feet. After reaching KXNDB (waypoint) they were cleared to descend to 3000 ft.. Galeaoa approach was contacted and normal position reports were made. As the plane descended over Guanabara Bay in rain, the extended nosewheel struck the water. The crew tried to continue the approach, but the aircraft crashed near Flecheiras Beach, short of the runway. The actual cause of the accident was never determined however, the most probable cause was pilot error in descending below the minimum altitude on final approach. Aircrew fatigue was considered to be a contributing factor. Crew flight time exceeded the Brazilian limits, but did not exceed the German limitations. |
Sources
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