What happened
During a period of favorable weather conditions, two aircraft collided while operating under visual flight rules at an altitude of 4,000 feet. The first aircraft, a four-engine DC-4 known as 'Estrella de Cuba', was cruising through the airspace when it struck a USN Beechcraft SNB-1 Kansan, registration 39939.
The Beechcraft, which was conducting a training mission departing from Key West NAS with a crew of four, plummeted into the ocean a short distance from the collision site. Following the impact, the DC-4 remained airborne for several seconds before also descending into the sea, eventually crashing approximately 1.7 miles away from where the initial contact occurred.
The accident resulted in 43 fatalities, as both aircraft were completely destroyed upon impact with the water.
Findings
Investigations concluded that the primary reason for the accident was the failure of both flight crews to maintain adequate lookout while flying under visual flight rules, which prevented them from avoiding the collision.