3 fatalities

Aircraft Overran Runway During Emergency Takeoff Abort (CP-1338)

Beni, BoliviaTakeoff (climb)

On May 23, 1978, a Douglas C-118 Liftmaster (registration CP-1338) operated by Transportes Aéreos Bolivar - TAB was involved in an aviation accident near Beni, Bolivia during takeoff. 3 people were killed. 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.

Sourcesthe Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A)Primary reportUpdated 2026-06-12Data APIEditorial standards

During a takeoff roll, an aircraft aborted due to an unexpected situation. It overran the runway, lost its undercarriage, and caught fire, killing three crew members and seriously injuring two.

Incident Overview During the takeoff roll, the flight crew encountered an unexpected situation. The captain decided to abort the takeoff procedure and initiated an emergency braking maneuver. The aircraft was unable to stop within the remaining distance and overran the runway. It lost its undercarriage and came to rest in flames. Three crew members were killed, and two others were seriously injured. The source does not specify the aircraft type, registration, date, operator, location, or cause of the unexpected situation. The probable cause is not stated in the source. The incident involved an emergency takeoff abort, runway overrun, undercarriage loss, and post-crash fire.