On May 15, 1951, a Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3) (registration PP-LPC) operated by Linhas Aéreas Paulistas was involved in an aviation accident near Maceió, Brazil in flight. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot encountered an unforeseen situation during flight that necessitated an emergency landing. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 1 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
An aircraft performing an emergency landing near Maceió sustained significant damage, though all passengers and crew escaped without injury.
What happened
While operating in flight, the pilot of the aircraft encountered unforeseen circumstances that necessitated an immediate emergency descent. During this maneuver, the pilot was forced to execute an unplanned landing in the vicinity of Maceió.
The impact of the crash landing resulted in the aircraft being declared a total loss due to damage exceeding repairable limits. Despite the severity of the structural damage to the airframe, all 16 occupants on board were successfully rescued from the wreckage. No fatalities or injuries were reported following the incident.
Findings
No specific technical reasons for the emergency were detailed in the initial report, though it is confirmed that an unexpected situation during the flight phase prompted the pilot to abandon the original flight path and attempt the landing.
Probable cause
The pilot encountered an unforeseen situation during flight that necessitated an emergency landing.