1961 Ndola Transair Sweden Douglas DC-6 crash
The aircraft involved, while still in service with Aramco in 1959 | |
| Occurrence | |
|---|---|
| Date | 18 September 1961 |
| Summary | Crashed to the ground for disputed reasons: pilot error or external attack |
| Site |
|
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Douglas DC-6B |
| Aircraft name | Albertina |
| Operator | Transair Sweden on behalf of 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 |
| Occupants | 16 |
| Passengers | 11 |
| Crew | 5 |
| Fatalities | 16 |
| Survivors | 0 |
On 18 September 1961, a DC-6 passenger aircraft of Transair Sweden operating for the United Nations (UN) crashed near Ndola, Northern Rhodesia (present-day Zambia). The crash resulted in the deaths of all people on board, including Dag Hammarskjöld, the second secretary-general of the United Nations, and 15 others. Hammarskjöld had been en route to ceasefire negotiations with Moïse Tshombe during the Congo Crisis. Three official inquiries failed to conclusively determine the cause. Some historians and military experts like Susan Williams have criticized the official inquiries, pointing to evidence of foul play that had been omitted from the inquiries.
Hammarskjöld's death caused a succession crisis at the UN when the Security Council was tasked with selecting his successor.