Baia Mare – Cluj-Napoca – Sibiu – Bucharest

On August 23, 1940 at 12:00 AM, Baia Mare – Cluj-Napoca – Sibiu – Bucharest experienced a crash involving Douglas DC-3, operated by Liniile Aeriene Române Exploatate cu Statul - LARES, with the event recorded near Mt Gaina Arad.

The flight was categorized as scheduled revenue flight and the reported phase was flight at a mountains crash site.

15 people were known to be on board, 15 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 100.0%.

Crew on board: 3, crew fatalities: 3, passengers on board: 12, passenger fatalities: 12, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. While approaching Cluj-Napoca from the west, the aircraft was not on the assigned track and hit the slope of Mt Gaina located in the Apuseni mountain range, Carpathians. The wreckage was found some 70 km southwest of Cluj-Napoca and all 15 occupants were killed. At the time of the accident, the weather conditions were poor with low visibility, hail falls and turbulence.

Aircraft reference details include registration YR-PIF, MSN 1986, year of manufacture 1937.