No fatalities

Maritime patrol aircraft ditched off Cabrera Island after engine failure (73-4)

Cabrera Island, SpainFlight

On January 21, 1939, a CRDA CANT Z.506 Airone (registration 73-4) operated by Spanish Air Force - Aviación Nacional (1936-1939) was involved in an aviation accident near Cabrera Island, Spain in flight. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The accident resulted from an in-flight failure of the right engine. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

Sourcesthe Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A)Primary reportUpdated 2026-08-04Data APIEditorial standards

A maritime patrol plane was forced to ditch in rough seas near Cabrera Island following a right engine malfunction. All five crew members were rescued by a British vessel and disembarked in Oran.

What happened

During a routine maritime patrol mission, the aircraft experienced a critical mechanical issue with its powerplant. The right engine suffered a malfunction that necessitated an immediate shutdown by the captain. With one engine inoperable and conditions deteriorating, the crew initiated an emergency ditching procedure.

The aircraft came to rest in rough sea conditions approximately 65 kilometers from Cabrera Island. Following the impact with the water, all five crew members were successfully extracted from the wreckage. Rescue operations were carried out by the personnel of a British merchant vessel named 'Mirupanu'. The survivors were subsequently transported and disembarked at the port of Oran.

Findings

Post-incident assessments confirmed that the aircraft sustained severe damage during the ditching and subsequent recovery efforts. Although the airframe was initially towed to shore, it was ultimately declared damaged beyond repair and written off. The official investigation attributed the incident directly to the failure of the right engine in flight.

Probable cause

The accident resulted from an in-flight failure of the right engine.