Port Moresby – Kundiawa

On April 8, 1961 at 12:00 AM, Port Moresby – Kundiawa experienced a crash involving Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3), operated by Papuan Air Transport - Patair, with the event recorded near Bereina Central.

The flight was categorized as cargo and the reported phase was landing (descent or approach) at a airport (less than 10 km from airport) crash site.

3 people were known to be on board, 0 fatalities were recorded, 3 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 0.0%.

Crew on board: 3, crew fatalities: 0, passengers on board: 0, passenger fatalities: 0, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is technical failure. While cruising at an altitude of 12,000 feet, the crew informed ground about an in-flight fire and elected to divert to Bereina for an emergency landing. As the crew was unable to extinguish the fire, the airplane landed on fire and came to rest in flames. All three crew members were able to evacuate safely while the airplane burned for about 24 hours before being totally destroyed.

Aircraft reference details include registration VH-PAT, MSN 16494/33242, year of manufacture 1945.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately -8.6378°, 146.5108°.