Incident Overview

Date: Wednesday 6 November 1957
Aircraft Type: Curtiss C-46A-50-CU Commando
Owner/operator: Aerovias Sud Americana
Registration Number: N10425
Location: Guatemala City – ÿ Guatemala
Phase of Flight: Unknown
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Component Affected: No specific component is identified as directly affected.No specific component is identified as directly affected.
Category: Accident
A commercial aircraft, Curtiss N10425, experienced a catastrophic failure of its primary engine resulting in a forced landing. The engine failed due to fatigue, preventing single-engine flight. The aircraft lost altitude rapidly, requiring a forced landing on a highway. The incident resulted in two fatalities and injuries to three people.A commercial aircraft, Curtiss N10425, experienced a catastrophic failure of its primary engine resulting in a forced landing. The engine failed due to fatigue, preventing single-engine flight. The aircraft lost altitude rapidly, requiring a forced landing on a highway. The incident resulted in two fatalities and injuries to three people.

Description

Curtiss N10425 took off from Guatemala City runway 01 at 11:18. Takeoff was uneventful and the aircraft climbed on a 5deg heading at 120 knots airspeed. At 11:25, while climbing through about 3000 feet agl (8000 feet asl) the no. 1 engine oil temperature reached 102deg C and the oil pressure dropped to 50 lb with the no. 1 engine backfiring a little later. Engine power was reduced to 1800rpm and power set to 30inches manifold pressure. The co-pilot requested a landing clearance for Guatemala City runway 19. Several minutes later the engine quit, forcing the crew to feather the prop. METO power and even takeoff power on the remaining engine couldn’t prevent the aircraft from losing altitude. Descending through 1000 feet it became impossible to reach the airport; the crew prepared for a forced landing. At 200 feet altitude power on the no. 2 engine was reduced, but children were playing in the area made it impossible to land immediately. The flaps were extended and the crew decided to attempt a landing on a highway to avoid some houses. When the plane approached people were seen running toward the highway, so a landing between the highway and the houses was attempted. The aircraft struck power lines and trees and crashed into a residence, killing two people on the ground and injuring 3. It appeared that the no. 1 engine had probably failed due to a fatigue failure of the engine’s crankshaft. PROBABLE CAUSE: “Inability of the aircraft to maintain single engine flight for reasons undetermined after failure of the other engine.”

Primary Cause

Fatigue failure of the aircraft’s engine crankshaft.Fatigue failure of the aircraft’s engine crankshaft.

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