Date & Time:
Dec 14, 1968
Type of aircraft:
Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar
Operator:
Registration:
51-2667
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Roosevelt Roads - Homestead
MSN:
10656
YOM:
1951
Country:
Puerto Rico
Region:
Central America
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
8
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
8
Circumstances:
The crew departed Roosevelt Roads NAS on a routine flight to Homestead AFB, south Florida. Few minutes after takeoff, the radio communication systems apparently failed and the crew decided to return to his departure point for a safe landing. While cruising in poor visibility at an altitude of 3,400 feet, the airplane struck tree tops and crashed in a wooded area located on the slope of the Pico del Este (1,036 meters high) located in the El Yunque National Park. As the airplane failed to return, SAR operations were conducted and the wreckage was found a day later some 12 km west of Ceiba. All eight crew members were killed.
