Serviços Aéreos Cruzeiro do Sul

Cruzeiro do Sul
IATA code :	SC
ICAO code :	CRZ
Call sign :	CRUZEIRO
Founding:	1927 (as Syndicato Condor )
Operation stopped:	1993
Seat:	Rio de Janeiro , Brazil
Fleet size:	11
Aims:	Brazil, South and North America
Cruzeiro do Sul ceased operations in 1993. The information in italics refer to the last status before the end of operation.

Serviços Aéreos Cruzeiro do Sul , called Cruzeiro do Sul , was a Brazilian airline based in Rio de Janeiro . It was founded in 1927 as a subsidiary of Deutsche Luft Hansa under the name Syndicato Condor Ltda , renamed Serviços Aéreos Cruzeiro do Sul in 1943 and integrated into VARIG on January 1, 1993 .

Fairchild C-82 Packet, 1972

history

On May 5, 1924, the Syndikat Condor ( Portuguese : Syndicato Condor) was founded in Berlin . After almost a year of trial operation, Syndicato Condor Ltda was founded for scheduled flights in Brazil on December 1, 1927 ; Regular flights from Rio de Janeiro to Porto Alegre had already started on November 9th . In 1941 the name had to change to Serviços Aereos Condor Ltda. (SAC).

→ Main article : Condor Syndicate

On January 16, 1943, the company was finally renamed Serviços Aéreos Cruzeiro do Sul .

After the collapse of Panair do Brasil , its domestic route network and in July 1965 the three Caravelle and five Catalina were transferred to Cruzeiro.

On January 1, 1966, the two smaller airlines Transportes Aéreos Catarinense (TAC) and SAVAG - Sociedade Anônima Viação Aérea Gaúcha were taken over.

In May 1975 the owners of Varig acquired the majority of the shares in Cruzeiro do Sul. Initially, the two companies were still formally operated separately. On January 1, 1993, Cruzeiro do Sul was dissolved and fully integrated into Varig, making the second oldest airline in Brazil merged with the oldest after 66 years.

fleet

NAMC YS-11, 1968

Airbus A300, 1994

Fleet at the end of operations

At the time of the cessation of operations, the company still had

• 5 Boeing 727-100
• 6 Boeing 737-200.

Previously deployed aircraft

On May 2, 1947, the first Douglas DC-4 were taken over, with which brief flights to New York and Washington were carried out. The new age began in January 1963 when the first Caravelle 6R was put into service. The first Boeing 727-100 started flights from Rio de Janeiro to Brasília on February 3, 1970. An Airbus A300 was the first wide- bodied aircraft to go into operation in June 1980 .

From 1943 until the end of its operations, Cruzeiro do Sul used the following types of aircraft:

• Airbus A300
• Boeing 727-100
• Boeing 737-200
• Consolidated Catalina
• Convair CV-240
• Convair CV-340
• Convair CV-440 Metropolitan
• Douglas DC-3 / C-47
• Douglas DC-4
• Fairchild C-82 package
• Focke-Wulf Fw 200
• Junkers Ju 52 / 3m
• NAMC YS-11
• Sud Aviation Caravelle

Incidents

From 1946 to the cessation of operations in 1993, Cruzeiro do Sul suffered 32 total aircraft losses, half of them without fatalities. In 16 accidents, however, 213 people were killed. Examples:

DC-3 of the Cruzeiro do Sul, 1975

• On March 8, 1947 landing collided Douglas DC-3 with the air vehicle registration PP-PCK on the airport of Rio de Janeiro Santos Dumont with the rolling on the runway Focke-Wulf Fw 200 PP-CBI . People were not harmed; the Fw 200 was a total loss.

• On March 13, 1948, a Douglas DC-3A from Cruzeiro do Sul (PP-CBX) collided with the Sierra Cristais ridge, 32 kilometers from the destination airport, while approaching São Paulo-Congonhas Airport ( Sao Paulo , Brazil). All 6 occupants, 4 crew members and 2 passengers, were killed.

• On March 22, 1951 crashed a Douglas DC-3 / C-53 of the Cruzeiro do Sul (PP-CCX) at the airport Florianópolis ( Brazil ) from. When taking off during rain and poor visibility, engine 2 (right) failed and the aircraft crashed into the bay. Of the 14 occupants, four crew members and ten passengers, three passengers died, the other occupants survived.

• On June 27, 1951, the crew of a Douglas DC-3 / C-47-DL of the Cruzeiro do Sul (PP-CCK) had to make an emergency landing in a swamp area on a lakeshore near Trinidad , Bolivia , about 250 kilometers due to navigation problems away from the target distance. None of the four crew members on the cargo flight was killed. The machine was damaged beyond repair.

• On September 12, 1954, the pilots of a Douglas DC-3 / C-47A of the Cruzeiro do Sul (PP-CDJ) returned to the departure airport of Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont ( Brazil ) when the weather conditions at the destination airport of São Paulo-Congonhas under the Minima had fallen. Due to severe vibrations in engine 1 (left), it was shut down. The plane was too high on the final approach; the attempted go-around , the aircraft fell into a descent and smote the waters of Guanabara Bay on. In this accident 6 of the 21 passengers were killed, all 4 crew members and the other 15 passengers survived.

• On August 26, 1955, a Douglas DC-3A from Cruzeiro do Sul (PP-CBY) collided with a mountain in the Serra do Costelo between Castelo, RJ and Cachoeiro de Itapemirim (Brazil). The aircraft was on the flight from Campos dos Goytacazes to Caravelas (Bahia) and had deviated far from the airway and the flight plan course. In this CFIT ( Controlled flight into terrain ) all 13 occupants, 4 crew members and 9 passengers were killed.

• On December 1, 1955, the left engine of a Douglas DC-3 / C-47B of Cruzeiro do Sul (PP-CCC) lost power shortly after taking off from Belém-Val-de-Cans Airport ( Para , Brazil). The pilots switched off the hydraulic pump, which resulted in the landing gear hanging in the half-extended position. Its high air resistance, coupled with that of the idling propeller, caused it to descend until a tree was brushed against. The machine crashed and caught fire. All 6 occupants, 4 crew members and 2 passengers were killed.

• On January 11, 1958, a Fairchild C-82A package of Cruzeiro do Sul (PP-CEH) crashed on a training flight at Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont Airport ( Brazil ). With blind flight covers on the windshields, the machine flew too low, collided with a barrier and crashed into Guanabara Bay . All three crew members, the only occupants, survived.

• On January 16, 1958, the left engine of the Fairchild C-82 Packet PP-CEF caught fire after takeoff. The machine crashed near its take-off airport, Belem -Val-de-Cans. All three crew members were killed.

• On June 16, 1958, a Convair CV-440-59 of Cruzeiro do Sul (PP-CEP) crashed while approaching Curitiba Airport ( Parana , Brazil). The aircraft was pushed to the ground by very strong falling gusts . Of the 26 occupants, all 5 crew members and 16 of the 21 passengers were killed.

• On January 26, 1960, a wing of a Fairchild C-82A Packet of Cruzeiro do Sul (PP-CEM) collided with a parked Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer (ZP-CAD. ) While taxiing at Rio de Janeiro-Galeao Airport , ( Brazil ) ) of ALAS Guaranies SA. People were not harmed. Both planes were damaged beyond repair.

• On April 12, 1960, a Douglas DC-3 / C-53 of the Brazilian Cruzeiro do Sul (PP-CDS) , which was operated for VARIG , had an accident while taking off from Pelotas ( Brazil ). The aircraft deviated to the right of the runway, it was overcorrected and she set course for parked machines. The captain thought that he could prevent a collision by taking off early, but this turned out to be a mistake. The DC-3 collided with the parked aircraft PT-ABZ and PP-HDJ , crashed and caught fire. Of the 22 occupants, 2 of the 3 crew members and 8 of the 19 passengers were killed.

• On May 9, 1962, a Convair CV-240-0 of Cruzeiro do Sul (PP-CEZ) was flown into the ground on the approach to the airport of Vitoria ( Espirito Santo , Brazil). As early as 1,860 meters from the runway, the aircraft struck a eucalyptus tree and fell to the ground. Instead of having the required height of at least 150 meters, the pilots approached far too low. In this CFIT ( Controlled flight into terrain ) 23 of the 25 occupants were killed, all 3 crew members and 20 of the 22 passengers.

• On January 15, 1963, an engine failed on a Convair CV-240-0 of the Cruzeiro do Sul (PP-CEV) after taking off from São Paulo-Congonhas Airport ( Sao Paulo , Brazil). The plane crashed four kilometers south of the take-off airport in a house. Of the 45 occupants, 6 were killed, a crew member and 5 passengers. In addition, 7 people were killed on the ground.

• On January 22, 1963 became Convair CV-340-59 of Cruzeiro do Sul (PP CDY) while landing in heavy rain at the airport of Parnaíba ( Piauí , Brazil) from the runway, and made a Ringelpiez . All nine occupants, three crew members and six passengers survived. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

• On May 3, 1963, a Convair CV-340-59 of Cruzeiro do Sul (PP-CDW) caught fire in engine 2 (right). The pilots returned to the departure airport São Paulo-Congonhas ( Sao Paulo , Brazil). On the final approach, about one kilometer east of it, the aircraft took the aircraft nose very steeply upwards (45 degrees); it stalled and crashed. The cause was an improper procedure when moving the propeller out of the sail position . Of the 50 occupants, 37 were killed, 4 of the 5 crew members and 33 of the 45 passengers.

• On August 20, 1965, the pilots of a Convair CV-240-0 from Cruzeiro do Sul (PP-CFD) returned to the departure airport in Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont ( Brazil ) after an engine failed soon after take-off. When landing, the aircraft came off the runway to the left, causing the left main landing gear to collapse. All 33 occupants, 5 crew members and 28 passengers survived the total write-off.

• On October 19, 1966, the Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina PP-PEC crashed on a training flight near Belem. All four crew members were killed.

• On October 17, 1968 a Consolidated / Canadian Vickers PBV-1 Canso - amphibious aircraft of the Cruzeiro do Sul (PP-PCW) had an accident while landing on the Rio Purus near Canutama ( Amazonas (Brazil) ). When touching down, the left wing float touched the water, whereupon the aircraft nose plunged and the cabin overflowed. The plane swam for 15 minutes before it sank. Of the 14 occupants, four passengers were killed, all five crew members and the remaining five passengers survived.

• On October 20, 1968, the pilots of the Douglas DC-3 PP-SAD tried to return after an engine failure when taking off from Feijo ( Acre ) airport . During this attempt, the machine crashed. All 19 inmates were killed.

• On September 28, 1971, the pilots of the Douglas DC-3 PP-CBV tried to return after an engine failure when taking off from Sena Madureira Airport . During the traffic pattern at a very low altitude, the right wing brushed trees, whereupon the aircraft crashed. All 32 people on board were killed.

• On June 1, 1973, the Caravelle 6 PP-PDX reared up extremely when attempting a go-around at São Luís Airport and crashed. The left engine hadn't delivered any thrust. All 23 people on board were killed.

• On December 23, 1973 accident Caravelle 6R of Cruzeiro do Sul (PP-PDV) on the Airport Manaus Ponta Pelada ( Brazil ). The machine was approached far too fast and too high, touched down 850 meters (2,800 feet) behind the start of the runway, slipped off the runway and shot down a slope at a speed of 80 knots. Amazingly, all 58 occupants, 5 crew members and 53 passengers survived the total loss.

See also

• Former Airlines List (America)

literature

• REG Davies: Airlines of Latin America since 1919. Putnam Aeronautical Books, London 1997, ISBN 0-85177-889-5 .
• Bernhard Isidor Hengi, Editor Josef Krauthäuser: Past, Forgotten, Gone. Former airlines worldwide from 1970 . Nara-Verlag, Allershausen 1999, ISBN 3-925671-27-7 .

Web links

Commons : Serviços Aéreos Cruzeiro do Sul  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Davies, p. 342.
2. ↑ ^{a b} Hengi, p. 76.
3. ↑ Ulrich Klee and Frank Bucher et al .: jp airline-fleets international 1992/93 . Zurich Airport 1992, p. 458
4. ^ Davies, p. 452.
5. ↑ Davies, p. 481.
6. ^ Davies, p. 492.
7. ↑ Davies, pp. 610-611.
8. ↑ Aviation Safety Network accident statistics , accessed on November 2, 2015
9. ^ Accident report Fw 200 PP-CBI , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on November 2, 2015
10. ↑ Air-Britain Archive: Casualty compendium part 49 (English), June 1993, pp. 93/53.
11. ^ Accident report DC-3 PP-CBX , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on August 3, 2020.
12. ^ Accident report DC-3 PP-CCX , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on August 3, 2020.
13. ↑ Accident report DC-3 PP-CCK , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on August 9, 2019.
14. ^ Accident report DC-3 PP-CDJ , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on August 5, 2020.
15. ^ Accident report DC-3 PP-CBY , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on August 5, 2020.
16. ^ Accident report DC-3 PP-CCC , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on August 5, 2020.
17. ^ Accident report Fairchild C-82 PP-CEH , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on August 3, 2020.
18. ^ Accident report Fairchild C-82 PP-CEF , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on November 2, 2015.
19. ^ Accident report CV-440 PP-CEP , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on August 3, 2020.
20. ↑ Accident report Fairchild C-82 PP-CEM , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on August 3, 2020.
21. ^ Accident report DC-3 PP-CDS , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on August 5, 2020.
22. ^ Accident report CV-240 PP-CEZ , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on August 3, 2020.
23. ^ Accident report CV-240 PP-CEV , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on August 3, 2020.
24. ^ Accident report CV-340 PP-CDY , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on August 3, 2020.
25. ^ Accident report CV-340 PP-CDW , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on August 3, 2020.
26. ^ Accident report CV-240 PP-CFD , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on August 3, 2020.
27. ^ Accident report PBY-5 PP-PEC , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on November 2, 2015
28. ^ Accident report PBV-1 Canso PP-PCW , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on August 3, 2020.
29. ^ Accident report DC-3 PP-SAD , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on November 2, 2015
30. ^ Accident report DC-3 PP-CBV , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on November 2, 2015
31. ^ Accident report Caravelle 6 PP-PDX , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on November 2, 2015
32. ^ Accident report Caravelle 6R PP-PDV , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on August 3, 2020.