 A DC-6 similar to the accident aircraft | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 18 September 1961 |
| Summary | Crashed to the ground for disputed reasons: pilot error or external attack[1][2][3][4] |
| Site | 15 km (9.3 mi) W of Ndola Airport (NLA) Zambia 12°58′31″S 28°31′22″E / 12.97528°S 28.52278°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Douglas DC-6B |
| Aircraft name | Albertina |
| Operator | Transair Sweden for 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 (initially, 1)[a] |
On 18 September 1961, a DC-6 passenger aircraft of Transair Sweden Flight 001, operating for the United Nations, 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 United Nations[7] when the Security Council was tasked with selecting his successor.[8]
- ^ "Statement attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General on the report of the Eminent Person relating to the tragic death of Dag Hammarskjöld and of the members of the party accompanying him". United Nations. 25 October 2017. Archived from the original on 9 April 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
- ^ "What Really Happened to Dag Hammarskjold's Plane". 15 February 2022.
- ^ ""Air Crash Investigation" Deadly Mission (TV Episode 2016) - IMDb". IMDb.
- ^ "Experts solve 50-year-old mystery behind UN chief's plane crash". Toronto Star. 14 September 2011.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
WSJ 2014.05.19was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
un_sec_reportwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Halberstam, David (19 September 1961). "Hammarskjold Dies In African Air Crash; Kennedy Going To U. N. In Succession Crisis". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 9 April 2021.
- ^ Hamilton, Thomas J. (23 September 1961). "INTERIM U.N. HEAD IS URGED BY RUSK; HIS TIMING SCORED; Delegates Fear Speech Will Harm Attempts at Accord on Temporary Chief REDS SEIZE ON REMARKS Soviet Bloc Renews Charge That Appointee Would Be Pawn in 'Cold War' INTERIM U.N. HEAD IS URGED BY RUSK". The New York Times. p. 1. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).