1986 Ilopango Douglas DC-6 crash

Aircraft accident in El Salvador in 1986

1986 Ilopango Douglas DC-6 crash
Accident
A Douglas DC-6 of the Salvadoran Air Force, similar to the one involved in the accident
Date	1 May 1986 (1986-05-01)
Summary	Aircraft caught on fire and crashed shortly after takeoff
Site	1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of Ilopango International Airport, Ilopango, El Salvador
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Douglas DC-6
Operator	Salvadoran Air Force
Registration	FAS302
Flight origin	Ilopango International Airport, Ilopango, El Salvador
Destination	Tocumen International Airport, Panama City, Panama
Occupants	37
Passengers	33
Crew	4
Fatalities	37
Survivors	0

On 1 May 1986, a Douglas DC-6 of the Salvadoran Air Force crashed 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of the Ilopango International Airport in Ilopango, El Salvador shortly after takeoff. The crash killed 37 people on board the aircraft making it the deadliest military aviation accident in Salvadoran history.

Aircraft

The flight was operated by a Douglas DC-6 of the Salvadoran Air Force. The aircraft was manufactured in 1955 and had the tail number FAS302. The Salvadoran Air Force acquired the DC-6 from the United States Air Force.

Accident

On 1 May 1986, the Douglas DC-6 carrying 37 members of the Salvadoran military took off from the Ilopango International Airport in Ilopango, El Salvador. There were 4 crew members and 33 passengers The flight was carrying military personnel to a mechanics course in Panama. Two minutes after takeoff, the aircraft caught fire and crashed into a hill 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of the airport at 4:32 a.m. local time. None of the 37 people on board the plane survived. No ground casualties were reported but one house was destroyed.

Cause

The Salvadoran government initially suggested that a mechanical failure caused the crash but did not rule out sabotage by the rebel Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN), although the government considered sabotage to be "unlikely". The FMLN did not claim responsibility for the crash over its Radio Venceremos broadcasts. The aircraft did not have either a cockpit voice recorder or flight data recorder on board. The cause of the crash was never determined.

The crash is the deadliest military aviation accident in Salvadoran history. It was the deadliest aviation accident in Salvadoran history until 9 August 1995 when Aviateca Flight 901 crashed and killed 65 people.

References

"1 May 1986 Salvadoran Air Force Douglas DC-6 Crash". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
^ Farah, Douglas (2 May 1986). "Military Does Not Rule Out Rebel Sabotage in Plane Crash Killing 37". United Press International. San Salvador, El Salvador. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
^ "37 Die in Salvador Plane Crash". The New York Times. 2 May 1986. p. 3. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
"Military Plane Crash Kills All 37 Aboard". United Press International. San Salvador, El Salvador. 1 May 1986. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
"Crash of a Douglas C-118A Liftmaster in San Salvador: 37 Killed". Bureau of Aircraft Accident Archives. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
"El Salvador Accidents and Incidents". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 2 January 2025.

Portals:

v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in 1986 (1986)
Jan 18 Aerovías Caravelle crashJan 28 VASP Flight 210Jan 31 Aer Lingus Flight 328Feb 16 China Airlines Flight 2265Mar 2 Aeroflot Flight F-77Mar 31 Mexicana de Aviación Flight 940Apr 2 TWA Flight 840Apr 5 Ljósufjöll air crashApr 17 Hindawi affairMay 1 Ilopango Douglas DC-6 crashMay 3 Air Lanka Flight 512May 3 China Airlines Flight 334Jun 18 Grand Canyon National Park collisionJul 2 Aeroflot Flight 2306Aug 3 LIAT Flight 319Aug 16 Sudan Airways Fokker F-27 shootdownAug 31 Aeroméxico Flight 498Sep 5 Pan Am Flight 73Oct 5 Corporate Air Services HPF821Oct 19 Mozambican Tupolev Tu-134 crashOct 20 Aeroflot Flight 6502Oct 26 Thai Airways International Flight 620Nov 6 British Int'l Helicopters Chinook crashNov 17 Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 1628Dec 12 Aeroflot Flight 892Dec 25 Iraqi Airways Flight 163
1985 ◄ ► 1987

Aviation accidents and incidents in 1986 (1986)

Jan 18 Aerovías Caravelle crashJan 28 VASP Flight 210Jan 31 Aer Lingus Flight 328Feb 16 China Airlines Flight 2265Mar 2 Aeroflot Flight F-77Mar 31 Mexicana de Aviación Flight 940Apr 2 TWA Flight 840Apr 5 Ljósufjöll air crashApr 17 Hindawi affairMay 1 Ilopango Douglas DC-6 crashMay 3 Air Lanka Flight 512May 3 China Airlines Flight 334Jun 18 Grand Canyon National Park collisionJul 2 Aeroflot Flight 2306Aug 3 LIAT Flight 319Aug 16 Sudan Airways Fokker F-27 shootdownAug 31 Aeroméxico Flight 498Sep 5 Pan Am Flight 73Oct 5 Corporate Air Services HPF821Oct 19 Mozambican Tupolev Tu-134 crashOct 20 Aeroflot Flight 6502Oct 26 Thai Airways International Flight 620Nov 6 British Int'l Helicopters Chinook crashNov 17 Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 1628Dec 12 Aeroflot Flight 892Dec 25 Iraqi Airways Flight 163

1985 ◄ ► 1987

v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in El Salvador
Joateca Bell UH-1 bombing (October 1984) Ilopango Douglas DC-6 crash (May 1986) Lolotique shootdown (January 1991) Aviateca Flight 901 (August 1995) Pasaquina Bell UH-1 crash (September 2024)
This list is incomplete.

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