Crash of a Curtiss C-46 Commando off Santo Domingo

Date & Time: Apr 25, 1973
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
HI-201
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Santo Domingo - Christiansted
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
After takeoff from Saint-Domingue-Las Américas Airport, while in initial climb, the left engine failed. The crew decided to ditch the airplane in the Bay of Boca Chica located 5 km east of the airfield. The aircraft came to rest few hundred meters offshore and all four crew members were quickly rescued. The aircraft was on its way to Christiansted, US Virgin Islands, carrying a load of 6,4 tons of fruits.
Probable cause:
Failure of the left engine shortly after takeoff.