Varig Flight 837
1967 aviation accident
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Varig Flight 837 was a flight from Fiumicino Airport, Rome, Italy to Galeão International Airport, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, originating in Beirut, Lebanon, and with a stop in Monrovia, Liberia. On 5 March 1967, due to pilot error, the flight crashed during approach to Runway 04 of Roberts International Airport.[1] Of the 71 passengers and 19 crew on board, 50 passengers and the flight engineer perished. In addition, 5 people on the ground were also killed. The aircraft caught fire and was written off. This is the worst aviation accident in Liberia to this day.[2][3]
PP-PEA, the aircraft involved in the accident, seen in July 1966 | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 5 March 1967 |
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain caused by pilot error |
| Site | |
 | |
| Total fatalities | 56 |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Douglas DC-8-33 |
| Operator | Varig |
| Registration | PP-PEA |
| Flight origin | Beirut International Airport, Beirut, Lebanon |
| 1st stopover | Fiumicino Airport, Rome, Italy |
| 2nd stopover | Roberts International Airport, Monrovia, Liberia |
| Destination | Galeão International Airport, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Passengers | 71 |
| Crew | 19 |
| Fatalities | 51 |
| Survivors | 39 |
| Ground casualties | |
| Ground fatalities | 5 |
Investigation
Investigators determined the probable cause of the crash to be "The failure of the pilot-in-command to arrest in time the fast descent at a low altitude upon which he had erroneously decided, instead of executing a missed approach when he found himself too high over the locator beacon."[4]
