Panamá

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

San Miguel – Panama City

MSN:

22545

YOM:

1945

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Shortly after takeoff from the San Miguel Island, the left engine oversped. The crew elected to feather the propeller and to shot down the engine but was unable to do so. Losing speed and height, the crew attempt an emergency landing into the sea few km off shore. Both pilots were quickly rescued while the airplane sank 30 minutes later by 35 meters depth.

Crash of a Curtiss C-46D-15-CU Commando in San Miguel

Date & Time: Nov 3, 1956

Type of aircraft:

Curtiss C-46 Commando

Operator:

Registration:

CC-CAH-331

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Landing (descent or approach)

Site:

Plain, Valley

MSN:

33544

YOM:

1945

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

In unknown circumstances, the crew encountered technical problems and was forced to attempt an emergency landing. The aircraft crash landed in a beach located near the city of San Miguel. There were no casualties but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Curtiss C-46 in Panama City

Date & Time: Mar 27, 1953

Type of aircraft:

Curtiss C-46 Commando

Operator:

Registration:

HC-SJA

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Cargo

Survivors:

Site:

Landing (descent or approach)

Schedule:

Miami – Panama City

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

On landing, an undercarriage collapsed. The aircraft went out of control, veered off runway to the left and came to rest in flames into a ravine. While both pilots were rescued, the aircraft was destroyed by fire.

Probable cause:

Undercarriage collapsed on landing.

Crash of a Douglas C-54D-15-DC Skymaster on Taboga Island: 23 killed

Date & Time: Jun 9, 1946 at 1030 LT

Type of aircraft:

Douglas C-54 Skymaster

Operator:

Registration:

43-17231

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

West Palm Beach - Albrook

MSN:

22181

YOM:

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

1335

Captain / Total hours on type:

543.00

Copilot / Total flying hours:

1312

Copilot / Total hours on type:

393

Circumstances:

The crew was performing a flight from West Palm Beach to Albrook AFB, Panama City. Following an uneventful flight, the pilot started the descent from the south when the ATC instructed the crew to maintain a minimum safe altitude of 1,000 feet on approach. The four engine aircraft hit the slope of a shrouded mountain located on Taboga Island, about 15 km south of the airfield. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and all 23 occupants were killed, among them one civilian.
Source: http://www.canalzonestudygroup.com/Issue133.pdf

Probable cause:

It is the opinion of the members of the Investigating Board that the pilot sighted Otoque Island and mistook it for Taboga and that he was in the vicinity of Otoque Island when he gave his estimated position of 15 miles southeast of the field. It is furtherbelieved that when the pilot called the tower and gave his estimated position as 5 miles south of field and at 1,000 feet on instruments that he thought he was past Taboga Island, approaching Albrook Field, and that by dropping down a little he would be contact again. Actually the estimated distance of 10 miles traveled would place him over Taboga from Otoque. The pilot, Captain Lawrence W. Parks, filed an instrument flight plan from Morrison Field, West Palm Beach, to Albrook Field, without holding a currently effective Instrument Pilot Certificate. AAF Form 8 (white) or AAF Form 8A (green) in violation of AAF Regulation 60-16A. The weather on Taboga Island at the time of the crash was reported as a ceiling of approximately 750 feet above sea level, with a visibility of 15 miles. The top 250 feet of Taboga was covered with clouds and the visibility was 1/16 mile with light drizzle.

Crash of a Douglas B-18 Bolo in Panama City

Date & Time: May 11, 1943

Type of aircraft:

Douglas B-18 Bolo

Operator:

Registration:

37-9

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Panama City-Marcos A. Gelabert (Albrook AFB)

MSN:

1870

YOM:

1937

Location:

Panamá

Country:

Panama

Region:

Central America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Crashed on takeoff from Albrook AFB and destroyed. There were no fatalities.

Crash of a Consolidated B-24D-13-CO Liberator at Howard AFB: 9 killed

Date & Time: May 9, 1943

Type of aircraft:

Consolidated B-24 Liberator

Operator:

Registration:

41-23950

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Landing (descent or approach)

MSN:

745

YOM:

1942

Location:

Howard AFB (Panama City)

Panamá

Country:

Panama

Region:

Central America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Crashed in unknown circumstances at Howard AFB, killing nine crew members.
Crew:
Cpt Leonard H. Knott,
1st Lt Hubert F. Hohn,
2nd Lt Paul C. DeMarsh,
2nd Lt Robert L. Siegel,
S/Sgt Hiram L. Havens,
T/Sgt Albert C. Roark,
Sgt Glenn A. Blackburn,
Sgt Francis V. Rutkoski,
Cpl Francis B. Gayne.

Crash of a Lockheed A-29B Hudson at Albrook AFB

Date & Time: Mar 13, 1943

Type of aircraft:

Lockheed L-414 Hudson

Operator:

Registration:

41-23458

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site: