Carolina - Florianópolis

On January 17, 1979 at 07:55 AM, Carolina - Florianópolis experienced a crash involving Grumman HU-16 (SA-16) Albatross, operated by Brazilian Air Force - Força Aérea Brasileira, with the event recorded near Itacajá Tocantins.

The flight was categorized as military and the reported phase was landing (descent or approach) at a plain, valley crash site.

2 people were known to be on board, 0 fatalities were recorded, 2 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 0.0%.

Crew on board: 2, crew fatalities: 0, passengers on board: 0, passenger fatalities: 0, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is technical failure. En route from Carolina to Florianópolis, while cruising at an altitude of 8,000 feet, the right engine failed due to a major oil leak. The crew of two, the only occupant, shut down the right engine and feathered its propeller. Despite full power was added on the left engine, the crew was unable to maintain a safe altitude and was forced to jettison some of the cargo and auxiliary tanks as well. Finally, the crew decided to attempt an emergency landing in an open field but on short final, the left engine lost power. This caused the undercarriage to be lowered too late and upon touchdown, they were not locked down. The aircraft crash landed and skidded on its belly before coming to rest. While both pilots were uninjured, the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Aircraft reference details include registration 6539, MSN G-45, year of manufacture 1950.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately -8.3929°, -47.7726°.