1961 Ndola United Nations DC-6 crash
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A DC-6 similar to the accident aircraft
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| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | September 18, 1961 |
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain |
| Site | 15 km (9.3 mi) W of Ndola Airport (NLA) Zambia 12°58′31″S 28°31′22″E / 12.97528°S 28.52278°ECoordinates: 12°58′31″S 28°31′22″E / 12.97528°S 28.52278°E |
| Passengers | 11 |
| Crew | 5 |
| Fatalities | 16 (15 initially) |
| Injuries (non-fatal) | 0 (1 initially) |
| Survivors | 0 (1 initially) |
| Aircraft type | Douglas DC-6B |
| Operator | Transair Sweden for the United Nations |
| Registration | SE-BDY |
| Flight origin | Elisabethville Airport Congo |
| Stopover | Léopoldville-N'Djili Airport (FIH/FZAA), Congo |
| Destination | Ndola Airport (NLA/FLND), Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) |
The Ndola United Nations DC-6 crash happened on 18 September 1961. Dag Hammarskjöld, the second Secretary-General of the United Nations and 15 others died. Hammarskjöld's death occurred in Northern Rhodesia while en route to cease-fire negotiations.
In September 1961, Hammarskjöld learned about fighting between "non-combatant" UN forces and Katangese troops of Moise Tshombe; on 18 September Hammarskjöld was en route to negotiate a cease-fire when the aircraft he was flying in crashed near Ndola, Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia). Hammarskjöld and fifteen others perished in the crash.
The aircraft involved in this accident was a Douglas DC-6B, c/n 43559/251, registered in Sweden as SE-BDY, first flown in 1952 and powered by four Pratt & Whitney R-2800 18-cylinder radial piston engines.
A special report issued by the United Nations following the crash stated that a bright flash in the sky was seen at approximately 1:00. According to the UN special report, it was this information that resulted in the initiation of search and rescue operations. Initial indications that the crash might not have been an accident led to multiple official inquiries and persistent speculation that the Secretary-General was assassinated.
Following the death of Hammarskjöld, there were three inquiries into the circumstances that led to the crash: the Rhodesian Board of Investigation, the Rhodesian Commission of Inquiry, and the United Nations Commission of Investigation.
The Rhodesian Board of Investigation looked into the matter between 19 September 1961 and 2 November 1961 under the command of British Lt. Colonel M.C.B. Barber. The Rhodesian Commission of Inquiry held hearings from 16–29 January 1962 without United Nations oversight. The subsequent United Nations Commission of Investigation held a series of hearings in 1962 and in part depended upon the testimony from the previous Rhodesian inquiries. Five "eminent persons" were assigned by the new Secretary-General to the UN Commission. The members of the commission unanimously elected Nepalese diplomat Rishikesh Shaha to head an inquiry.
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