Panama City-Marcos A. Gelabert (Albrook AFB) | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

At 0600LT, Aerotransportes Entre Rios Cargo Flight 501/90, crashed while attempting a night VMC takeoff from runway 27L at the Miami International Airport, Miami, Florida. The aircraft did not become airborne, and the pilot attempted unsuccessfully to reject the takeoff. The aircraft ran off the departure end of the runway and crashed on the west bank of a canal, about 960 feet from the departure end of the runway. Six of the ten persons aboard were killed. Two crewmembers and two passengers survived the accident. The aircraft was destroyed by impact and fire. The aircraft struck and destroyed an automobile; one occupant of the car was injured.

Probable cause:

The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the accident was an attempt to take off with an external makeshift flight control lock on the right elevator. The following findings were reported:
- An external elevator lock was carried on the aircraft. The use of this lock was not part of the certification of the aircraft.
- The external elevator control lock was installed on the right elevator after the aircraft landed at Miami and was still in place after the aircraft was loaded and taxied from the ramp for takeoff.
- The pilots could have detected the presence of this lock by referring to the flight control surface position indicators.
- The pilot was unable to rotate the aircraft to the takeoff attitude.
- By the time the pilot determined that he could not rotate the aircraft and initiated procedures to reject the takeoff, the aircraft had accelerated to a speed which prevented him from stopping on the runway.
- The aircraft struck a number of obstacles off the paved area of the airport; these impacts resulted in the destruction of the aircraft and fire.

Final Report:

Crash of a Douglas C-47 on Mt Turrialba: 6 killed

Date & Time: Dec 4, 1970 at 1415 LT

Type of aircraft:

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

Operator:

Registration:

411

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Managua - Panama City

Location:

Mt Turrialba

Cartago (East Central Valley)

Country:

Costa Rica

Region:

Central America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane was engaged in a special flight from Managua to Panama City, carrying three passengers (all civilians), and three crew members. While approaching San José, Costa Rica, weather conditions deteriorated with thunderstorm activity and heavy rain falls. In poor visibility, the airplane struck the slope of the Turrialba volcano (3,340 meters high) and disintegrated on impact. All six occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

Controlled flight into terrain.

Crash of a Grumman SA-16A Albatross in Jardín: 3 killed

Date & Time: Jan 18, 1955

Type of aircraft:

Grumman HU-16 (SA-16) Albatross

Operator:

Registration:

51-7197

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance

Survivors:

Yes

Schedule:

Albrook - Albrook

MSN:

G-262

YOM:

1953

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew was engaged in a SAR mission following the disappearance of a Beechcraft Bonanza and was based at Albrook AFB, Panama. In unknown circumstances, the seaplane crashed in Jardín, Antioquia. Three crew members were killed while three others were injured.

Crash of a Douglas C-47 near Buenaventura: 4 killed

Date & Time: Feb 6, 1950 at 1530 LT

Type of aircraft:

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

Operator:

Registration:

FAC-665

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Panama City – Cali

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The aircraft left Albrook AFB in Panama City at 1315LT bound for Cali. At 1520LT, the crew informed ground that he was flying over Buenaventura. This was the last radio contact as the aircraft disappeared ten minutes later. The wreckage was found two weeks later in a mountain range located near the border of the States of Chocó and Valle del Cauca. All four crew members were killed.
Crew:
Lt Antonio Echandia Rocha, pilot,
Lt Rubén D. Ariza, copilot,
Octavio Arango, mechanic,
Mr. Duarte, mariner.

Probable cause:

Controlled flight into terrain.

Crash of a Douglas C-54D-15-DC Skymaster on Taboga Island: 23 killed

Date & Time: Jun 9, 1946 at 1030 LT

Type of aircraft:

Douglas C-54 Skymaster

Operator:

Registration:

43-17231

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

West Palm Beach - Albrook

MSN:

22181

YOM:

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

1335

Captain / Total hours on type:

543.00

Copilot / Total flying hours:

1312

Copilot / Total hours on type:

393

Circumstances:

The crew was performing a flight from West Palm Beach to Albrook AFB, Panama City. Following an uneventful flight, the pilot started the descent from the south when the ATC instructed the crew to maintain a minimum safe altitude of 1,000 feet on approach. The four engine aircraft hit the slope of a shrouded mountain located on Taboga Island, about 15 km south of the airfield. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and all 23 occupants were killed, among them one civilian.
Source: http://www.canalzonestudygroup.com/Issue133.pdf

Probable cause:

It is the opinion of the members of the Investigating Board that the pilot sighted Otoque Island and mistook it for Taboga and that he was in the vicinity of Otoque Island when he gave his estimated position of 15 miles southeast of the field. It is furtherbelieved that when the pilot called the tower and gave his estimated position as 5 miles south of field and at 1,000 feet on instruments that he thought he was past Taboga Island, approaching Albrook Field, and that by dropping down a little he would be contact again. Actually the estimated distance of 10 miles traveled would place him over Taboga from Otoque. The pilot, Captain Lawrence W. Parks, filed an instrument flight plan from Morrison Field, West Palm Beach, to Albrook Field, without holding a currently effective Instrument Pilot Certificate. AAF Form 8 (white) or AAF Form 8A (green) in violation of AAF Regulation 60-16A. The weather on Taboga Island at the time of the crash was reported as a ceiling of approximately 750 feet above sea level, with a visibility of 15 miles. The top 250 feet of Taboga was covered with clouds and the visibility was 1/16 mile with light drizzle.

Crash of a Lockheed A-29B Hudson at Albrook AFB

Date & Time: Mar 13, 1943

Type of aircraft:

Lockheed L-414 Hudson

Operator:

Registration:

41-23458

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

MSN:

414-6275

YOM:

1941

Location:

Panama City-Marcos A. Gelabert (Albrook AFB)

Panamá

Country:

Panama

Region:

Central America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Crashed on landing at Albrook AFB and destroyed. There were no fatalities.

Crash of a Grumman OA-9 Goose off Tigre Island

Date & Time: Dec 12, 1939

Type of aircraft:

Grumman G-21A Goose

Operator:

Registration:

38-572

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Ambulance

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Albrook - Tigre Island

MSN:

1038

YOM:

1939

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The float plane departed Albrook Field in Panama City on a special flight to the island of Tigre, north of the country, carrying two doctors and three crew members. Upon landing on rough sea off Tigre Island, the airplane caved in sank in about 15 feet of water. All five occupants were slightly injured.
Crew:
1st Lt T. C. Dary, pilot,
1st Lt John R. Keely, pilot,
Cpl J. S. Kouba, flight engineer.
Passengers:
Cpt E. Griffis,
Cpt E. F. Austin.