Date & Time: May 18, 1960 at 1530 LT
Type of aircraft:
Curtiss C-46 Commando
Operator:
Transamerican Air Transport
Registration:
LV-GGJ
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Cargo
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Buenos Aires – Santiago de Chile – Lima
MSN:
22554
YOM:
1945
Location:
El Sosneado
Mendoza
Country:
Argentina
Region:
South America
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
4
Pax on board:
5
Pax fatalities:
5
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
9
Circumstances:
The aircraft departed Buenos Aires-Ezeiza-Ministro Pistarini Airport at 1104LT with a crew of four, five passengers and seven race horses that should be delivered in Lima, Peru. An intermediate stop was scheduled at Santiago de Chile. The crew continued the flight under VFR at 3,000 meters in good weather conditions but while approaching the region of San Luis, weather deteriorated with turbulences and poor conditions. While cruising at an altitude of 4,500 meters, the airplane disintegrated in the air and eventually crashed on the slope of a mountain located near El Sosneado. SAR operations were conducted but eventually suspended few days later as no trace of the aircraft nor the crew was found. The wreckage was spotted on 21 November 1961 in an isolated area.
Crew:
Pedro Lafuente, pilot,
Fermín Gómez, copilot,
Domingo Vacarelli, mechanic,
Oscar Carballo, navigator.
Paasengers:
Sergio Etcheverry,
Carlos Luján,
Pedro Puccineri,
Omar Silva,
Raúl Díaz.
Probable cause:
The aircraft flew into extremely violent turbulence, was subjected to stresses greater than those for which it was designed, and in-flight structural failure resulted. Contributing causes were:
- Insufficient flight preparation,
- Failure of the pilote to familiarize himself with the prevailing weather conditions,
- The horses were improperly secured.