The 1962 Paraná da Eva Panair do Brasil Lockheed Constellation crash was a fatal aviation accident that occurred near Manaus, Brazil, in the early hours of 14 December 1962. The aircraft, a Lockheed L-049 Constellation operated by Panair do Brasil, disappeared during its final approach to Ponta Pelada Airport after departing from Belém. After an extensive search and rescue operation by the Brazilian Air Force, the wreckage was located the following day, with no survivors among the 50 people on board. The cause of the crash remains unknown, marking it as one of the final incidents in Panair do Brasil's history before the airline's closure.[2][3]
 Lockheed Constellation painted in the colors of Panair do Brasil on display at the Museu Asas de um Sonho in São Carlos, São Paulo. | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 14 December 1962 |
| Summary | Unknown causes[1] |
| Site | near Rio Preto da Eva, Amazonas, Brazil |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Lockheed Constellation |
| Operator | Panair do Brasil |
| Registration | PP-PDE |
| Flight origin | Aeroporto Santos Dumont, Rio de Janeiro |
| 1st stopover | Santa Maria Airport, Aracaju |
| 2nd stopover | Campo dos Palmares Airport, Maceió |
| 3rd stopover | Guararapes Airport, Recife |
| 4th stopover | Presidente Castro Pinto International Airport, João Pessoa |
| 5th stopover | Augusto Severo Airport, Natal |
| 6th stopover | Fortaleza Airport, Fortaleza |
| Last stopover | Tirirical Airport, São Luís – Belém/Val-de-Cans International Airport, Belém |
| Destination | Ponta Pelada Airport, Manaus |
| Occupants | 50 |
| Passengers | 44 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Fatalities | 50 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Aircraft
editThe aircraft involved was a Lockheed L-049 Constellation, registered as PP-PDE, with serial number 2047.[4]
Accident
editThe incident began when the Panair do Brasil Constellation PP-PDE took off from Santos Dumont Airport on the morning of 13 December 1962. The flight made several stops in different cities before departing from Belém towards its final destination, Manaus. In the early hours of 14 December, during its final approach to Ponta Pelada Airport, the crew requested that the runway lights be activated. Shortly after, contact with the aircraft was lost.
Upon realizing the disappearance, the Brazilian Air Force's Aeroterrestrial Rescue Squadron (PARA-SAR) was deployed to conduct search operations in the Manaus region. The wreckage of the aircraft was discovered by a PARA-SAR plane on the morning of 15 December, near Rio Preto da Eva, approximately 30 km from Manaus. Due to the difficult terrain and the discovery of part of the fuselage intact, rescuers initially held out hope of finding survivors. A ground team consisting of doctors, engineers, Panair employees, Petrobras workers, and soldiers reached the crash site on 20 December. However, no survivors were found among the 44 passengers and 6 crew members on board.[5]
Aftermath
editVarious theories were suggested to explain the cause of the crash, including mechanical failure and controlled flight into terrain, but the precise cause was never determined.[2] This accident was the last involving a Panair do Brasil aircraft. A few years later, the airline was shut down by Brazil's military regime, with its routes being transferred to Varig and its aircraft redistributed to other airlines or scrapped.[6]
Bibliography
edit- SILVA, Carlos Ari Cesar Germano da; O rastro da bruxa: história da aviação comercial brasileira no século XX através dos seus acidentes; Porto Alegre Editora EDIPUCRS, 2008, pp 223-228.
- ^ Constellation L-049 PP-PDE
- ^ a b SILVA, Carlos Ari Cesar Germano da (2008). O rastro da bruxa: história da aviação comercial brasileira no século XX através dos seus acidentes. Porto Alegre: Editora EDIPUCRS. p. 223-228. ISBN 978-85-7430-760-2.
- ^ Folha de S. Paulo (15 December 1962). "Constellation with 53 people disappears between Belém and Manaus". Ano XLII, número 12235, páginas 1 e 5. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
- ^ "Accident Lockheed L-049 Constellation PP-PDE | Friday 14 December 1962". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ^ Jornal do Brasil (21 December 1962). "Confirmed by Petrobras: No one survived the Constellation crash". Ano LXXII, número 294, página 10. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
- ^ Jornal do Brasil (11 February 1965). "Panair ceases operations". Ano LXXIV, número 35, páginas 1 e 3. Retrieved 14 August 2012.