| Occurrence Type: | Accident |
| Date: | December 22, 1960 |
| Summary: | Stall and loss of control following engine failure on takeoff |
| Site: | Talamban, Cebu, 2.5 miles from runway 03, near Lahug Airport, Philippines |
| Aircraft Type: | Douglas DC-3C |
| Operator: | Philippine Air Lines |
| Tail Number: | PI-C126 |
| Origin: | Cebu Lahug Airport, Cebu, Philippines |
| Destination: | Francisco Bangoy International Airport, Davao, Philippines |
| Passengers: | 34 |
| Crew: | 3 |
| Fatalities: | 28 |
| Injuries: | 9 |
| Survivors: | 9 |
Philippine Air Lines Flight S85 was a domestic flight that crashed shortly after taking off from Cebu-Lahug Airport, Cebu.
On December 22, 1960, the aircraft's left engine malfunctioned shortly after takeoff, prompting an emergency landing, however before the aircraft could return to the runway, it stalled, banked left and crashed in a huge explosion about 2.5 miles from Lahug Airport, killing 26 passengers including both pilots.[1]
The aircraft was a Douglas C-47A manufactured in the United States in June 1944 and registered as 43–16127, before it was given to Philippine Air Lines and converted into a DC-3C 40-seater and re-registered as PI-C126 in 1948.[2]
It had 18,611 flight hours at the time of the crash, and there was no evidence that the aircraft was not airworthy before the flight.
The left engine had a total operating time of over 12,300 hours, and was last overhauled on June 7, 1960, while the right engine had a total operating time of over 5,000 hours, and was last overhauled on February 5, 1960.[3]
The crew of three consisted of a captain, a first officer and a steward.
The steward, who survived the crash, stated after the crash that the first officer occupied the left seat and the captain occupying the right, something that wasn't authorised by the airline.
No maintenance work was done at Cebu prior to takeoff. All scheduled inspections and maintenance were done in accordance with the airline's procedures.
Investigations determined that Flight S85 crashed due to the malfunction of the left engine which led to the crash, and contributing factors involved the darkness of the night which limited the visibility during the emergency and the inappropriate emergency procedures that were carried out.[4]
There was no material failure of the propellers to indicate a runaway propeller in its assembly. However it was noted that while all three blades on the right propeller were symmetrically bent, the left propellers appeared unsymmetrical, with one blade showing an oblique scratch at the tip. Based on the findings of the left propeller blades, it was suggested that the left engine had feathered itself.