7 fatalities

Post-Maintenance Test Flight Crash in Gulf of Nicoya (YV-C-AMK)

Puntarenas, Costa RicaFlight

On May 22, 1970, a Curtiss C-46 Commando (registration YV-C-AMK) operated by Linea Aeropostal Venezolana - LAV was involved in an aviation accident near Puntarenas, Costa Rica in flight. 7 people were killed. 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 2026-06-12Data APIEditorial standards

A seven-person crew was killed when an aircraft crashed into the Gulf of Nicoya off Puntarenas during a post-maintenance test flight from San José-Juan Santamaría Airport.

Incident Overview and Departure Details In the morning, a crew consisting of four technicians and three pilots departed from San José-Juan Santamaría Airport. The flight was conducted as a post-maintenance test flight. The specific aircraft type, registration, operator, and exact date of the incident are not provided in the available source material. ## Crash Circumstances and Location During the flight, the aircraft went out of control in unknown circumstances. The plane subsequently crashed into the Gulf of Nicoya, located off the coast of Puntarenas. The wreckage was later discovered 1.2 kilometers east of San Lucas Island. ## Casualties All seven individuals on board the aircraft were killed in the crash. The source does not specify the cause of the accident or provide further details regarding the investigation findings.