Rich International Airways

Curtiss C-46 Commando

Shortly after takeoff from Cockburn Town Airport runway 11, while in initial climb, one of the engine failed. The crew attempted an emergency landing and ditched the aircraft in a lagoon, about 1,6 km from the runway end. The airplane came to rest in shallow water and was damaged beyond repair. All three occupants escaped uninjured.

Curtiss C-46 Commando

The airplane was completing a cargo flight from St Petersburg to Aguadilla, carrying two pilots and a load of 9,000 lbs of dynamite. While approaching Aguadilla, both engines lost power and stopped almost simultaneously. The crew elected to ditch the aircraft that crashed into the sea about 800 meters offshore. The airplane sank by 50 feet of water and its wreckage was not recovered. Both pilots, slightly injured, were evacuated.