Crash of a Curtiss C-46 Commando in Kinshasa: 45 killed
Date & Time:
Apr 16, 1969 at 0810 LT
Registration:
9T-PLJ
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Kinshasa – Kananga – Mbuji-Mayi
MSN:
26710
YOM:
1943
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
42
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
45
Circumstances:
Few minutes after takeoff from Kinshasa-N’Djili Airport, the crew reported technical problems with the hydraulic systems and was cleared to return. To reduce weight, the pilot followed a holding pattern over the region when the airplane entered a dive and crashed into the Congo River. All 45 occupants have been killed.
Probable cause:
The exact cause of the accident was not determined. However, it is believed that the loss of control was the consequence of a double engine failure caused by a fuel exhaustion.
