On March 30, 1958, a Curtiss C-46 Commando (registration TI-1019) operated by Aerolineas Nacionales - Costa Rica was involved in an aviation accident near Havana, Cuba in flight. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The aircraft crashed due to running out of fuel following an unauthorized diversion. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 2 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
A regional aircraft operating in Costa Rica was hijacked during a flight toward Florida, eventually crashing in the Florida Strait due to fuel exhaustion.
What happened
A regional flight operating within the airspace of Costa Rica was intercepted by individuals who took control of the aircraft. The hijackers reportedly intended to divert the plane's course toward Florida.
During the unauthorized flight, the aircraft ran out of usable fuel. As a result of this fuel exhaustion, the plane went down in the Florida Strait, approximately 56 km away from Havana, Cuba. During the incident, the hijackers set the aircraft on fire, which led to the total loss of the plane.
Findings
There were no casualties reported during the hijacking or the subsequent crash.
The destruction of the aircraft was caused by fire ignited by those on board.
Probable cause
The aircraft crashed due to running out of fuel following an unauthorized diversion.