On May 21, 1959, a Curtiss C-46 Commando (registration CC-CIA-497) operated by Lineas Aéreas Interpolar was involved in an aviation accident near Moro, Peru in flight. 8 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The aircraft struck a mountain slope while flying through clouds and poor weather conditions during the cruise phase. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A).
An aircraft flying a cargo route from Miami to Arica crashed into a mountain slope in poor weather conditions, resulting in eight fatalities.
What happened
During a scheduled cargo operation traveling from Miami toward Arica, an aircraft encountered fatal difficulties while navigating through heavy cloud cover. The flight path included planned stops in both Panama City and Talaguna.
While maintaining a cruising altitude of 10,000 feet, the aircraft collided with the slope of Cerro Shano. The impact was severe enough to cause the total disintegration of the airframe. There were eight fatalities recorded as a result of the accident, which included four passengers traveling as merchants.
Findings
The collision occurred while the aircraft was operating in poor weather conditions with limited visibility due to cloud cover.
The flight was in the cruise phase of operation at the time of the impact.
Probable cause
The aircraft struck a mountain slope while flying through clouds and poor weather conditions during the cruise phase.