Date & Time:
Apr 5, 1960 at 1439 LT
Type of aircraft:
Curtiss C-46 Commando
Operator:
Registration:
AN-AIN
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Siuna – Bonanza
MSN:
26945
YOM:
1944
Country:
Nicaragua
Region:
Central America
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
1
Pax on board:
14
Pax fatalities:
1
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
2
Aircraft flight hours:
5650
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff, while climbing, the airplane stalled and crashed in flames in a wooded area located 2,400 meters past the runway end. A crew member and a passenger were killed while 16 other occupants were injured. The airplane was totally destroyed by a post crash fire.
Probable cause:
During the investigation, when the port propeller was being dismantled it was discovered that the distributor valve was broken from the base of the junction with the engine crankshaft, the first threads having broken. The break appeared to be due to fatigue. From the evidence, the rupture of the distributor valve of the port propeller appears to have been the main cause of the accident, additional factors being unfavorable terrain, wind and altitude conditions.
