A Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation, named “Rafael Urdaneta”, and operated by Linea Aeropostal Venezolana was destroyed in an accident in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of New York, USA. The airplane carried 64 passengers and ten crew members. All were killed. Flight 253 took off from New York-Idlewild at 23:06 on June 19, 1956 for a flight to Caracas, Venezuela. Eighty minutes into the flight the crew reported they were returning to Idlewild because the no. 2 engine propeller was running wild. An emergency was declared at 00:50 and a US Coast Guard plane was sent as an escort. At 01:29 the Constellation crew started dumping fuel. Immediately after starting the dump the aircraft burst into flames. A sharp turn to the right was followed by a smooth climb and a tendency to veer to the left. The Super Constellation then disintegrated, turned into a fireball and crashed into the sea. PROBABLE CAUSE: “Although the accident was observed by witnesses, its cause cannot be determined with absolute certainty. However, it would be logical to assume that the vibration which resulted from the loss of control of propeller no.2 caused one of the inside wing attachments to loosen or break at some point between the fuel tank and the dump chute at the symmetrical point of vibration (behind engine no.3).”