The 1949 Mexicana DC-3 crash was an aviation accident on September 26, 1949, when a Mexicana de Aviacion Douglas DC-3 en route to Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City, Mexico crashed into the Popocatepetl volcano, killing all 23 people on board. The aircraft, registered as XA-DUH,[1] was flying from Tapachula on a route that originated in Tuxtla Gutierrez with intermediate stops in Ixtepec and Oaxaca. The dead included actress Blanca Estela Pavón and senator Gabriel Ramos Millan.[2]
![]() Douglas DC-3 similar to accident aircraft | |
Accident | |
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Date | September 26, 1949 |
Summary | Controlled flight into terrain |
Site | Popocatepetl |
Aircraft type | Douglas DC-3 |
Operator | Mexicana de Aviacion |
Registration | XA-DUH |
Flight origin | Tuxtla Gutierrez |
1st stopover | Ixtepec, Oaxaca |
2nd stopover | Oaxaca City |
3rd stopover | Tapachula |
Destination | Mexico City |
Occupants | 23 |
Passengers | 20 |
Crew | 3 |
Fatalities | 23 |
Survivors | 0 |
The DC-3's pilot was identified as Alfonso Reboul Lasscassies.[3]
The DC-3 left Tapachula at 12:40 local time, for a one hour flight. According to investigations, the DC-3 flying the route that day faced severe turbulence as it arrived over Mexico City. The pilot communicated with an air force base, telling them they were near the volcano.[4]
The airplane was completely destroyed.[5]
The famous Mexican writer and later politician, Andrés Henestrosa, was supposed to be on the flight with his friend, senator Ramos Millan. Henestrosa had a premonition and he boarded a train to Mexico City instead.[6]
Aviation accidents and incidents in Mexico | |
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Aviation accidents and incidents in 1949 (1949) | |
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1948 ◀ ▶ 1950 |
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