59 Years ago today: On 7 October 1961 a Derby Aviation DC-3 crashed near Mt. Canigou, France, killing all 34 occupants.

Date:Saturday 7 October 1961
Time:01:00 UTC
Type:Silhouette image of generic DC3 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Douglas C-47B-30-DK Dakota 4
Operator:Derby Airways
Registration:G-AMSW
C/n / msn:32919/16171
First flight:1945
Total airframe hrs:13658
Engines:Pratt & Whitney R-1830-90C
Crew:Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3
Passengers:Fatalities: 31 / Occupants: 31
Total:Fatalities: 34 / Occupants: 34
Aircraft damage:Damaged beyond repair
Location:Mont Canigou (   France)
Phase:En route (ENR)
Nature:Int’l Non Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport:London-Gatwick Airport (LGW/EGKK), United Kingdom
Destination airport:Perpignan Airport (PGF/LFMP), France

Narrative:
The Douglas C-47 took off from Gatwick (LGW) at 20:43 UTC on a charter flight to Perpignan (PGF), France. The crew reported over Toulouse at 00:30 UTC, heading for Perpignan at FL75, and estimating an arrival over Perpignan at 01:12. In an area of intermittent rain and wind of variable forces, the plane struck a mountainside at 2200 m altitude.

Probable Cause:

PROBABLE CAUSE: “The accident was attributed to a navigational error, the origin of which it was not possible to determine for lack of sufficient evidence.”