The 1960 Rio de Janeiro air crash was an aerial collision between two aircraft over Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...

, Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

 on February 25, 1960. In the crash, a United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 Douglas R6D-1 (DC-6A)

Douglas DC-6

The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and transport aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, it was reworked after the war to compete with the Lockheed Constellation in the long-range...

 (BuNo 131582) flying from Buenos Aires - Ezeiza

Ministro Pistarini International Airport

Ministro Pistarini International Airport , more commonly known as Ezeiza International Airport owing to its location within the Ezeiza Partido in the Greater Buenos Aires, is an international airport located south-southwest of Buenos Aires, the capital city of Argentina...

 to Rio de Janeiro-Galeão Air Force Base

Galeão Air Force Base

Galeão Air Force Base – BAGL is a base of the Brazilian Air Force located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is named after Praia do Galeão , located in front of the original passenger terminal of the airport and presently the passenger terminal of the Brazilian Air Force...

 collided in the air over Guanabara Bay

Guanabara Bay

Guanabara Bay is an oceanic bay located in southeastern Brazil in the state of Rio de Janeiro. On its western shore lies the city of Rio de Janeiro, and on its eastern shore the cities of Niterói and São Gonçalo. Four other municipalities surround the bay's shores...

, close to the Sugarloaf Mountain with a Real Transportes Aéreos

Real Transportes Aéreos

Real Transportes Aéreos was a Brazilian airline founded in 1945. It was merged into Varig in 1961, when Varig bought the Consórcio Real-Aerovias-Nacional, of which Real was the main carrier....

 Douglas DC-3

Douglas DC-3

The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...

 registration PP-AXD, which was flying from Campos dos Goytacazes

Bartolomeu Lysandro Airport

Bartolomeu Lysandro Airport is the airport serving Campos dos Goytacazes, Brazil. It is named after the Congressman Bartholomeu Lysandro de Albernaz , a local plantation owner in whose land, the Fazenda Bonsucesso, the airport was built....

 to Rio de Janeiro - Santos Dumont Airport. The crash occurred at 13:07 local time at an altitude of 1,600 meters.

The US Navy aircraft was carrying members of the United States Navy Band

United States Navy Band

The United States Navy Band, based at the historic Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., has served the nation as the official musical organization of the United States Navy since 1925...

 to Brazil to perform at a diplomatic reception attended by US President Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...

. Of the 38 occupants of the American aircraft, 3 survived. All 26 passengers and crew of the Brazilian aircraft died. The probable causes of the accident are disputed but include error of personnel, both air and ground, and faulty equipment.