Crash of a Curtiss C-46D-10-CU Commando into the Caribbean Sea: 4 killed

Date & Time: Apr 10, 1970
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
HK-1281
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Santa Marta – Pointe-à-Pitre
MSN:
33275
YOM:
1945
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
The C-46 departed Santa Marta Airport at 1211LT on a cargo flight to Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, carrying a load of 5 tons of meat. While cruising at an altitude of 7,000 feet, the crew informed ATC about his ETA in Guadeloupe at 1755LT when contact was lost. The airplane crashed in unknown circumstances into the sea. No trace of the aircraft nor the four crew members was found.

Crash of a Lockheed L-749a Constellation into the Caribbean Sea: 3 killed

Date & Time: Nov 11, 1961
Registration:
HH-ABA
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
San Juan – Managua
MSN:
2615
YOM:
1949
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
En route from San Juan to Managua on a cargo flight, the airplane disappeared from radar screens and crashed in unknown circumstances into the Caribbean Sea. No trace of the aircraft nor the crew was found.
Probable cause:
Due to lack of evidences, it was not possible to determine the exact cause of the accident.

Crash of a Curtiss C-46A-40-CU Commando into the Caribbean Sea: 45 killed

Date & Time: Dec 8, 1959 at 1200 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
HK-515
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
San Andrés – Cartagena – Medellín
MSN:
26941
YOM:
1944
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
42
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
45
Circumstances:
Twenty minutes after his departure from San Andrés Island, while cruising at an altitude of 9,500 feet, the captain informed ATC about his position vertical to PC-2 beacon in good weather conditions. This was the last radio transmission. SAR operations were conducted but eventually suspended three days later as no trace of the aircraft nor the 45 occupants was found. Eight days later, some equipment of the right main gear were found on a beach of the Moron Island in Panama.
Probable cause:
Due to the lack of evidence, investigations were unable to determine the exact cause of the accident.

Crash of a Lockheed P2V-5 Neptune into the Caribbean Sea: 11 killed

Date & Time: Sep 26, 1955
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
131442
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Guantánamo Bay - Guantánamo Bay
MSN:
426-5323
Flight number:
Snowcloud Five
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
9
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
11
Circumstances:
The aircraft left Guantánamo Bay NAS in Cuba on a meteorological mission consisting of investigations of the hurricane 'Janet' that was classified in cat 4 and approaching Jamaica from the south. While penetrating the eye of the hurricane at an altitude of about 700 feet, the airplane went out of control and crashed into the sea, some 480 km southwest of the Jamaican coast. SAR operations were conducted but eventually suspended after few days as no trace of the aircraft nor the eleven occupants was found. There were nine crew members and two journalists on board.

Crash of a Curtiss C-46D-15-CU Commando into the Caribbean Sea: 3 killed

Date & Time: Dec 21, 1952
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
YV-C-ARC
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Caracas – Miami
MSN:
33486
YOM:
1945
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
Crashed in unknown circumstances into the Caribbean Sea, killing all three crew members.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-85-DL into the Caribbean Sea: 3 killed

Date & Time: Aug 20, 1948
Operator:
Registration:
YV-C-AVN
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Maiquetía – Las Piedras – Maracaibo
MSN:
19984
YOM:
1944
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
On the leg from Maiquetía to Las Piedras, while on a cargo flight to Maracaibo, the aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances into the Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. No trace of the aircraft nor the crew was found.

Crash of a Douglas C-47B-10-DK into the Caribbean Sea: 8 killed

Date & Time: Nov 2, 1946
Operator:
Registration:
43-49141
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Clarendon - San Juan
MSN:
14957/26402
YOM:
1944
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
8
Circumstances:
Crashed into the Caribbean Sea while on a flight from Clarendon, Jamaica, to San Juan. No trace of the aircraft nor the crew was ever found.

Crash of a Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina into the Caribbean Sea: 16 killed

Date & Time: Apr 6, 1944
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
08044
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
San Juan – Guantánamo
MSN:
863
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
27
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
16
Circumstances:
En route from San Juan to the Guantánamo NAS, crew encountered engine problems and elected to ditch the aircraft that crashed into the Caribbean Sea. Fifteen occupants were missing, one was killed and fourteen others were rescued. No trace of the missing crew was ever found.
Probable cause:
Fuel exhaustion.

Crash of a Martin PBM-3C Mariner into the Caribbean Sea: 10 killed

Date & Time: Oct 6, 1943
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
6534
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Waller - Waller
MSN:
2987
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
10
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
10
Circumstances:
The crew left Waller Field NAS at Trinidad on a maritime patrol flight. The aircraft failed to return and is supposed to have crashed into the Caribbean Sea, killing the entire crew.