1958 Altos del Cedro air disaster

The Altos del Cedro air disaster was the worst aviation accident in the history of Venezuelan aviation until in 1969 Viasa Flight 742 crashed with 155 victims, later surpassed in 2005 by West Caribbean Flight 708 with 160 victims, when an Aeropostal Lockheed Super Constellation L-1049 crashed on the Altos del Cedro hill of the Cordillera de Montes de Oca, in the Sierra de Perijá, on the night of 14 October 1958. 17 passengers and 7 crew members died in this accident, caused by the pilots' error in calculating the flight's approach and descent to Maracaibo, which was the stopover made by this aircraft, which was located, as were the bodies of the victims, after several days of searching.

Consequences of the accident

This accident, which for the third time involved a Lockheed Super Constellation, led Aeropostal to operate domestic flights in Venezuela, as the international routes were assigned to Viasa, which was created by the government of Rómulo Betancourt two years after this accident, in November 1960.

Similarity to Aeropostal Flight 253

On 27 November 1956 Aeropostal Flight 253, a Lockheed Super Constellation L-1049, crashed on the western slope of the Silla de Caracas, killing 25 people on board.

As with this flight, the crew miscalculated the approach and descent to Caracas, which was the final destination of the crashed aircraft, and crashed in the Galipán area.