December 4

On 1974-12-04, a Martinair McDonnell Douglas DC-8 carrying Indonesian Hajj pilgrims struck rising terrain during an instrument approach to Bandaranaike International Airport near Colombo, Sri Lanka. All 191 people aboard were killed. Investigators classified the accident as a controlled flight into terrain (CFIT), a tragedy that highlighted the risks of non‑precision approaches on long, multi‑leg charter flights and helped focus later safety improvements.

On the evening of 4 December 1971, a pyrotechnic flare fired during a Frank Zappa concert ignited the rattan-covered ceiling of the Casino de Montreux. The blaze gutted the famous lakeside venue, forced the evacuation of hundreds, and—through Deep Purple’s later song “Smoke on the Water”—entered rock lore. There were injuries but no reported fatalities; the casino was rebuilt and the episode helped sharpen attention to fire safety in public entertainment spaces.

PNS Ghazi, Pakistan’s long‑range diesel‑electric submarine, was lost with all hands off Visakhapatnam on the night of 3–4 December 1971 while on a covert mission to locate INS Vikrant and to mine approaches to the Indian port. Indian and Pakistani accounts disagree on whether anti‑submarine action or an internal explosion caused the sinking; the wreck lies on the seabed and the exact cause remains disputed.