Narrative:A Curtiss C-46R Commando cargo plane was damaged beyond repair in a forced landing near La Paz.
The airplane departed from the El Salvador Airport carrying a cargo of 5000 kg of meat. En route at 17,000 feet the no. 1 engine failed with two loud bangs. Dense smoke entered the cabin. The crew proceeded to shut down the engine. Efforts to feather the propeller failed and the engine continued to burn. The crew expected not to be able to reach the La Paz airport, which was situated at an altitude of about 13,000 feet. The two passengers tried to jettison packages of meat through a partly opened cargo door as the plane kept descending over downsloping terrain. Finally a forced landing was carried out on rocky terrain near a river in a part of the La Paz city located at an elevation of about 10,700 feet. The engines separated.
Classification:
Forced landing outside airport
Sources:
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El día que La Paz vio llover carne / Erich Kierig Calvo
Photos
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does
not display the exact flight path.
Distance from El Salvador Airport to La Paz-El Alto Airport as the crow flies is 270 km (169 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.