Narrative:The Douglas C-47 took off from Tipuani at 09:34 for a 36-minute flight to La Paz. The plane crashed into a mountain at about 14500 feet. Witnesses saw the plane explode in mid-air and fall down near the cemetery of a mining area. A dynamite charge had been planted on board by a heavily insured passenger.
Probable Cause:
PROBABLE CAUSE: "A violent explosion of criminal origin inside and at the rear of the aircraft during flight, which caused the tail unit to be torn off."
Classification:
Sabotage
Tail failure
Loss of control
Sources:
» Aircraft hijackings and other criminal acts against civil aviation : statistics and narrative reports / FAA
» ICAO Aircraft Accident Digest No.16 - Volume III, Circular 82-AN/69 (129-135)
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 Tipuani Airport to La Paz-El Alto Airport as the crow flies is 110 km (69 miles).
Accident location: Global; accuracy within tens or hundreds of 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.