List of accidents and incidents involving the DC-3 in 1973

• On 19 January, Douglas C-47B PK-EHC of Trans Nusantara Airways crashed on landing at Supadio Airport, Pontianak and was destroyed in the subsequent fire. All four people on board escaped.[1]
• On 29 January, Douglas C-47 PP-SQA of VASP crashed on landing at Rondonópolis Airport.[2]

C-47 of the United States Air Force

• On 3 February, Douglas C-47 IJ341 of the Indian Air Force was reported to have been damaged beyond economic repair.[3]
• On 6 February, Douglas C-47B CF-HTH of Nordair was damaged beyond economic repair when it was hit by a vehicle at an airport in Montreal.[4]
• On 12 February, Douglas C-47A CF-OOV of Kenting Atlas Aviation crashed on approach to Iqaluit Airport. The aircraft was on a ferry flight to Resolute Bay Airport when power was lost shortly after take-off from Iqaluit and the decision was made to return. All three people on board survived.[5]
• On 21 February, Douglas C-47A HP-560 of Aerovías Urraca flew into Cerro Horqueta mountain killing 22 of the 28 people on board. The aircraft was operating a domestic non-scheduled passenger flight from Enrique Malek Airport, David to Changuinola "Capitan Manuel Niño" International Airport.[6]
• On 23 February, Douglas DC-3F ZK-AOI crashed at Seddon following the in-flight structural failure of the starboard wing between the engine nacelle and the fuselage, killing the pilot.[7][8] The aircraft had been modified for aerial topdressing after being retired from Royal New Zealand Air Force service in 1966[7][9] and was owned by topdressing company Southern Air Super at the time of the crash, based at Woodbourne Airport, Blenheim.[8] The accident investigation found that the wing failure had been caused by overstressing of the structure due to the aircraft operating from rough airstrips and that the aircraft was overloaded on its last flight.[7]

DC-3 of the Força Aérea Portuguesa

• On 2 March, Douglas C-47 N6574 of Arute International Air overran the runway on landing at San Salvador Airport and was damaged beyond economic repair. The cause was pilot error in that a downwind landing was made. The aircraft was operating an international non-scheduled passenger flight from Miami International Airport, United States.[10]
• On 31 March, Douglas DC-3D 6169 of the Força Aérea Portuguesa crash landed at Cuito Cuanavale after being hit by small arms fire from the ground. The aircraft was operating a military flight from Quatro de Fevereiro Airport, Luanda to Henrique de Carvalho Airport.[11]

• On 11 April, Douglas C-47 T.3-37 of the Ejército del Aire was reported to have been involved in an accident and was subsequently withdrawn from use.[12]

An Aeroflot Lisunov Li-2

• On 3 May, Lisunov Li-2 CCCP-04244 of Aeroflot fell through the ice in Antarctica at 82°15′S 125°00′W whilst taxiing. The aircraft was subsequently deliberately destroyed for security reasons.[13]
• On 4 May, a Douglas DC-3 of Air Cambodge was reported to have been destroyed on the ground at Kampot Airport.[14]
• On 19 May, Douglas C-47A XW-TDM of Cambodia Air Commercial crashed shortly after take-off from Svay Rieng Airport. All eleven people on board were killed.[15]
• On 29 May, Douglas C-47A CF-QBB of Air Gaspé crashed on approach to Rimouski Airport, killing all four people on board.[16]

• On 1 June, Douglas DC-3 HI-117 of Aerovías Quisqueyanas crashed at Santiago de los Caballeros.[17]

• On 5 July, Douglas C-47B 5H-AAK of East African Airways crashed at Mbeya Airport.[18]

• On 7 August, Douglas C-47 HJ916 of the Indian Air Force was reported to have been written off.[19]
• On 22 August, Douglas DC-3A HK-111 of Avianca crashed into a hill near Casanare killing 16 of the 17 people on board. The aircraft was operating a domestic scheduled passenger flight from La Vanguardia Airport, Villavicencio to El Alcaraván Airport, Yopal.[20]

• On 12 September, Douglas DC-3 XW-PKD of Lane Xang Airlines was reported to have been damaged beyond economic repair at Kampot Airport.[21]
• On 30 September, Douglas C-47A PT-CEV of Aeronorte Indústria e Comércio Ltda crashed shortly after take-off from Miritituba Airport, killing all nine people on board.[22]

• On 2 October, Douglas C-47 T.3-25 of the Ejército del Aire was reported to have been involved in an accident and was subsequently withdrawn from use.[23]
• On 10 October, Lisunov Li-2 CCCP-71209 of Aeroflot crashed on take-off from Tashuaz Airport, Turkmenistan on a cargo flight to Darvaza Airport following a double engine failure. All five people on board were killed.[24]

An Air Vietnam Douglas C-47

A Douglas R4D-8 of the United States Navy

• On 17 November, Douglas C-47B XV-NIE of Air Vietnam crashed 20 kilometres (11 nmi) north north west of Quảng Ngãi killing all 27 people on board. The aircraft was operating a domestic scheduled passenger flight from Tan Son Nhat International Airport, Saigon to Quảng Ngãi Airport.[25]
• On 23 November, Douglas C-47 MM61832 of the Aeronautica Militare Italiana crashed at Porto Marghera killing four people.[26]
• On 21 November, Douglas R4D-8 17171 of the United States Navy made a forced landing on a sandur in Vestur-Skaftafellssýsla and was abandoned. As of 2020, the fuselage of the aircraft remains at the site and has become a tourist attraction.[27][28]

• On 3 December, Douglas DC-3 XW-PHV of Air Union was reported to have crashed shortly after take-off from Phnom Penh International Airport.[29]
• On 13 December, Douglas DC-3 4W-ABR of Yemen Airlines was reported to have been damaged beyond economic repair at Ta'izz International Airport.[30]
• On 27 December, Douglas DC-3A N19428 of Aviation Sales & Service Inc was damaged beyond economic repair when it was landed next to a road in West Palm Beach, Florida following fuel exhaustion. The aircraft was operating a domestic passenger flight for Shawnee Airlines from Orlando International Airport to Palm Beach International Airport.[31][32]
• On 28 December, Douglas C-49E ZS-DAK of Executive Funds ditched off Umbogintwini Beach,[33] south of Durban following loss of power to both engines. The aircraft was operating a passenger flight to Louis Botha Airport. One passenger drowned.[34] An engine from this aircraft is displayed in the South African Air Force Museum.[33]
• On 29 December, Douglas C-53D EM-3 of Air America overran the runway on landing at Dalat Airport. The aircraft was substantially damaged and was not salvaged due to the presence of land mines in the area. It was operating a non-scheduled passenger flight. All nine people on board survived.[35]

• List of accidents and incidents involving the DC-3 in the 1970s

• Lockstone, Brian; Harrison, Paul (2000). DC-3: Southern Skies Pioneer. Glenfield, Auckland: Random House New Zealand. ISBN 1-86941-390-3.

^Note A Military versions of the DC-3 were known as C-47 Skytrain, C-48, C-49, C-50, C-51, C-52, C-53 Skytrooper, C-68, C-84, C-117 Super Dakota and YC-129 by the United States Army Air Forces and as the R4D by the United States Navy. In Royal Air Force (and other British Commonwealth air forces') service, these aircraft were known as Dakotas.