Accident Details
A Curtiss C-46 aircraft, operated on a ferry flight from Fairbanks, Alaska, to Bogotá, Colombia, via Miami and Kingston, was carrying four spare engines and spare parts. The aircraft arrived at Kingston on November 25 at 17:01 GMT. After refueling, fuel was observed venting from the right front tank, causing a delay in departure.
Sequence of Events
On the following day at 08:47 GMT, the C-46 lifted off from runway 29 after a long takeoff run. It was cleared to climb ahead to an altitude of 1,500 feet. Shortly after crossing the coastline, the aircraft began a left turn. Three minutes after takeoff, while still in a shallow climbing left-hand turn, the aircraft flew onto the southern face of Port Henderson Hills at an elevation of 700 feet. After scraping along rough ground over the brow of the hill, the aircraft fell down a steep precipice and caught fire.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined that the aircraft was turned during the climb after takeoff at a height insufficient to clear rising ground. The ability of the pilot to avoid the hill may have been affected by some mechanical or other failure, although the occurrence of such a failure was not established. A contributing factor was that the carriage of one pilot was inadequate for the safe operation of an aircraft of this type.