Date & Time:
Oct 26, 1973 at 1850 LT
Type of aircraft:
Curtiss C-46 Commando
Operator:
Registration:
HK-1383
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Cargo
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Barranquilla – San Andrés
MSN:
22522
YOM:
1945
Country:
Colombia
Region:
South America
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
0
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
After it departed Barranquilla Airport, while cruising over the Caribbean Sea at an altitude of 10,000 feet, the left engine caught fire. The crew activated the fire extinguishing system but the was unable to feather the propeller due to a technical issue. Due increase speed and avoid any stall, the captain plunged and the passenger jettisoned the cargo. Eventually, the crew was forced to ditch the airplane into the Caribbean Sea about 34 km off Cartagena. The aircraft sank within four minutes and was lost while all three occupants were rescued.
Probable cause:
Powerplant fire and failure of the feathering system which led to critical flight conditions when the prop began windmilling. The following factors were reported:
- The aircraft was overloaded by 1,167 kilos,
- The crew was not aware of the load prior to departure.
- The aircraft was overloaded by 1,167 kilos,
- The crew was not aware of the load prior to departure.
