1958 Aviaco SNCASE Languedoc crash

The 1958 Aviaco SNCASE Languedoc crash occurred on 4 December 1958 when a SNCASE Languedoc of Aviaco crashed into the La Rodilla de la Mujer Muerta mountain, in the Guadarrama Mountains, Spain, killing all 21 people on board. The aircraft was operating a domestic scheduled passenger flight from Vigo Airport to Barajas Airport, Madrid.

SNCASE Languedoc of Air France, similar to the accident aircraft
Accident
Date	4 December 1958
Summary	Controlled flight into terrain
Site	La Losa, Guadarrama Mountains, Province of Segovia (Spain) 40.79419°N 4.11963°W / 40.79419; -4.11963
Aircraft
Aircraft type	SNCASE Languedoc
Operator	Aviaco
Registration	EC-ANR
Flight origin	Vigo Airport
Destination	Barajas Airport, Madrid
Passengers	16
Crew	5
Fatalities	21
Survivors	0

Aircraft

The accident aircraft was SNCASE Languedoc msn 28, registration EC-ANR.^[1]

Accident

La Mujer Muerta Mountain, the accident taking place on the far left

The aircraft departed from Vigo Airport at 15:40 local time on 4 December 1958 bound for Barajas Airport, Madrid. At 17:15, the aircraft was instructed to contact the control tower at Barajas and remain at Flight Level 95. In the next five minutes, the aircraft crashed into the 1,999-metre (6,558 ft) high La Rodilla de la Mujer Muerta mountain, in the Guadarrama Mountains. All five crew and seventeen passengers on board were killed.^[1] The search for the aircraft was hampered by inclement weather, with fog, snow, high winds and torrential rain reported.^[2]

The cause of the accident was that the pilot flew too low whilst trying to descend out of icing conditions. A navigational error may also have contributed to the accident.^[1]