Panair do Brasil Flight 026
Comment: The best argument for sustained notability here is that this crash can be directly attributed to the decline of the airline as a whole. However, the source cited for that (9) failed verification. If you can clearly demonstrate via reliable sources that this crash led to the downfall of the company, then I think there is a compelling case for notability here. Sulfurboy (talk) 22:56, 17 August 2026 (UTC)
| Error creating thumbnail: A Douglas DC-8 similar to the aircraft involved in the accident | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 20 August 1962 |
| Summary | Runway excursion after takeoff |
| Site | Guanabara Bay, Brazil |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Douglas DC-8-33 |
| Aircraft name | Bandeirante Brás Cubas |
| Operator | Panair do Brasil |
| IATA flight No. | PB026 |
| Registration | PP-PDT |
| Flight origin | Ezeiza International Airport, Argentina |
| 1st stopover | Rio de Janeiro/Galeão International Airport, Brazil |
| 2nd stopover | Lisbon Airport, Portugal |
| Last stopover | Paris Orly Airport, France |
| Destination | London Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom |
| Occupants | 105 |
| Passengers | 94 |
| Crew | 11 |
| Fatalities | 14 |
| Survivors | 90 |
Panair do Brasil Flight 026 was an air route connecting South America to Europe, operated by the airline Panair do Brasil. The route had its terminals in Buenos Aires and London, with scheduled stops in Rio de Janeiro, Lisbon, and Paris. On August 20, 1962, during the stopover in Rio de Janeiro, the crew of the Douglas DC-8 (registration PP-PDT) failed to take off from runway 14/32 at Galeão Airport.
Although the takeoff was aborted, the DC-8 continued rolling along the runway until it reached the end. After crashing through the airport perimeter wall, the DC-8 crossed an avenue and plunged into the waters of Guanabara Bay. Of the 120 people on board, 14 drowned (including an infant only a few months old).[1]
Aircraft
Panair do Brasil entered the jet age with the acquisition of the Caravelle and the Douglas DC-8. The latter were deployed on international routes between South America and Europe, replacing the Douglas DC-7.[2] The aircraft involved in the accident was manufactured in 1961 and acquired by Panair do Brasil in March of that same year, receiving the registration PP-PDT and the name *Bandeirante Brás Cubas*.[3][4]
Accident
Panair do Brasil Flight 026 began at Ezeiza Airport in Buenos Aires on the afternoon of August 20, 1962. After takeoff at 4:15 PM, the flight proceeded normally, making a brief stopover in Campinas (Viracopos) before the next scheduled stop at Galeão Airport in Rio de Janeiro. Upon landing, the aircraft was to be refueled and prepared for the transatlantic crossing, while new passengers boarded for the flight to Europe.[3]
Around 10:30 PM, the crew began the takeoff roll. After reaching 175 knots and passing V1 (the point of no return for aborting takeoff), the DC-8 failed to lift off. Consequently, the crew initiated procedures to abort the takeoff. Despite the use of wheel brakes, engine thrust reversers, and the emergency brake, the aircraft continued to roll at high speed; it overran the end of the runway and crashed into the airport perimeter wall, losing one engine and part of the landing gear while leaving a trail of fuel from ruptured wing tanks. After exiting the airport grounds, the DC-8 crossed the coastal avenue and plunged into the waters of Guanabara Bay, subsequently catching fire. The wreckage of the DC-8 remained afloat for approximately 25 minutes, allowing the majority of those on board to escape. Even so, thirteen passengers (including a newborn) and one crew member drowned.[5]
Investigations
Shortly after the accident, an investigation commission was established. Based on the wreckage, witness statements, and, crucially, the flight plan, investigators concluded that the cause of the accident lay in the incorrect configuration of the horizontal stabilizer.
| “ | The cause of the accident was the interruption of the takeoff when the aircraft failed to rotate at a speed of 175 knots because the horizontal stabilizer had been incorrectly set to less than negative 1.75 degrees (nose-down) instead of positive 3 degrees (nose-up). Contributing factors included the pilot-in-command's delay in aborting the takeoff and the use of an improper rejected takeoff procedure. | ” |
| — Final Accident Report [6] | ||
Aftermath
Following the crash of the Constellation PP-PDE—which occurred just months after the DC-8 disaster and a year after the "Flight of Friendship" disaster, Panair entered a period of rapid decline. In 1965, the company was shut down by the military regime[7] for political[8] and technical reasons (with the accidents playing a significant role)[9]. While its routes were handed over to Varig, its aircraft were divided between Varig and Cruzeiro and/or scrapped.
References
- ↑ "Jet crashes at Galeão: 13 dead". Jornal do Brasil, Year LXII, number 194, page 1. August 21, 1962. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
- ↑ "Frota Panair". Aviação Comercial.net. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Gianfranco Beting. "A tragédia do Panair 26". Jetsite. Archived from the original on 2012-05-02. Retrieved February 6, 2013. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Mario Sampaio. "DC-8-Transportando Passageiros no Brasil" (PDF). Flap Internacional. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
- ↑ "Frogmen retrieve body from DC-8 wreckage; 4 or 5 more remain". Jornal do Brasil, Year LXII, number 195, page 4. August 22, 1962. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
- ↑ SILVA, Carlos Ari Cesar Germano da (2008). O rastro da bruxa: história da aviação comercial brasileira no século XX através dos seus acidentes. Editora EDIPUCRS, Porto Alegre. pp. 208–213. ISBN 978-85-7430-760-2. Search this book on
- ↑ Jornal do Brasil (February 11, 1965). "Panair encerra atividade". Year LXXIV, number 35, pages 1 and 3. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
- ↑ Alejandra Saladino. "O fechamento da Panair do Brasil e a ascensão da VARIG" (PDF). Revista Cantareira 8th edition - Universidade Federal Fluminense. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
- ↑ "ASN Aviation Safety Database (Panair do Brasil)". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
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