Dan-Air Flight 1903
G-APDN, the aircraft involved in the accident, pictured eight days before the crash | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 3 July 1970 |
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain |
| Site | Near Arbúcies, Catalonia, Spain 41°47′45″N 2°27′34″E / 41.79583°N 2.45944°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | de Havilland DH 106 Comet series 4 |
| Operator | Dan Air Services Ltd |
| Call sign | DAN-AIR 1903 |
| Registration | G-APDN |
| Flight origin | Manchester Airport, United Kingdom |
| Destination | Barcelona–El Prat Airport, Spain |
| Occupants | 112 |
| Passengers | 105 |
| Crew | 7 |
| Fatalities | 112 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Dan-Air Flight 1903 was an unscheduled international passenger service from Manchester to Barcelona, operated by Dan Air Services Limited under contract with British tour operator Clarksons Holidays, which arranged for the flight to carry a group of holidaymakers who had booked an all-inclusive package holiday with the operator.
On 3 July 1970, the de Havilland Comet 4 aircraft serving the flight crashed into the wooded slopes of the Serralada del Montseny near Arbúcies, in the Province of Girona of Catalonia, Spain. The accident resulted in the aircraft's destruction and the deaths of all 112 on board. It was the deadliest aviation accident in 1970, and remains the deadliest aviation accident involving the De Havilland Comet.
The accident was Dan-Air's first fatal accident killing fare-paying passengers. News of the first major accident, in the company's eighteenth year of existence, came just two days after British tour operator Global Holidays had awarded it a four-year, £2.5-million contract for all Global charter flights from Birmingham, starting in April 1971.