1976 Venezuelan Air Force C-130 crash
A C-130H of the Venezuelan Air Force, similar to the one that crashed. | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 3 September 1976 |
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain |
| Site | Near Lajes Airbase, Terceira Island, Azores Archipelago, Portugal |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Lockheed C-130H Hercules |
| Operator | Bolivarian Military Aviation of Venezuela |
| Registration | FAV-7772 |
| Flight origin | Simón Bolívar International Airport, Venezuela |
| 1st stopover | El Libertador Air Base, Maracay, Venezuela |
| 2nd stopover | Naval Air Station Bermuda, St. David's Island, Bermuda |
| 3rd stopover | Lajes Airbase, Azores, Portugal |
| 4th stopover | Barcelona, Spain |
| Last stopover | France |
| Destination | United Kingdom |
| Occupants | 68 |
| Passengers | 58 |
| Crew | 10 |
| Fatalities | 68 |
| Survivors | 0 |
On 3 September 1976, a Lockheed C-130H Hercules aircraft of the Venezuelan Air Force crashed on a hill just outside the runway of Lajes Field on Terceira Island in the Azores Archipelago while carrying out approach maneuvers under heavy rain associated with Hurricane Emmy, killing all 68 people on board. The Hercules was transporting members of the University Choir of the Central University of Venezuela to Barcelona, Spain to participate in a choral event. The crash is also known as the Tragedy of the Azores or the Tragedy of the University Orfeón. : 3