
November 1968 to June 1974
Aerolineas Taxi Aéreo Opita (TAO)
HK-1058 - c/n 380 - a V.785D series Viscount
Colombia registered
November 1968
Re-registered from temporary delivery registration HK-1058-X and named as 'Espumas'.
13 November 1971
Noted at East Midlands Airport, Castle Donington, Leicestershire, England undergoing maintenance with Field Aircraft Services Ltd.
The actual date it arrived or departed are not known. Details please to information@vickersviscount.net
May 1973
Port wing damaged when it hit trees during a landing at Neiva Airport, Colombia.
The actual date is not known. Details please to information@vickersviscount.net
Repaired using a replacement port outer wing from ex Alitalia I-LIRG (C/N 284) and returned to service.
5 October 1973
The undercarriage collapsed after running off the runway during a landing run at Eldorado International Airport, Bogotá, Colombia.
Repaired and returned to service.
8 June 1974
Crashed into high ground near Cerro El Retiro during the initial descent into Camilo Daza Airport, Cúcuta, Colombia at 14:30 local time after a structural failure at approx 7000 feet.
The weather at the time was good with visual meteorological conditions (VMC) applying.
The mainly shattered remains fell into a gully. The outer wing sections were the largest items to be recovered relatively intact.
This was later found to be due to a structural failure of the port tailplane spar boom due to metal fatigue.
All 6 crew and 38 passengers were sadly killed on flight 514 which had originated from Gomez Niño Airport, Bucaramanga.
The findings of this accident resulted in the permanent grounding of the other two Aerolineas TAO Viscounts in January 1975 and an inspection of the tailplane spar booms on all the Viscounts worldwide.
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