Draft:1975 BAF Convair CV-440 crash

{{Infobox aircraft occurrence

| image =

| image_upright =

| caption =

| occurrence_type = Accident

| date = {{start date|1975|10|27|df=y}}

| summary =

| site = Caranavi, Bolivia

| aircraft_type = Convair CV-440-12

| operator = Bolivian Air Force (BAF)

| tail_number =

| origin = Tomonoco, Bolivia

| destination = El Alto Airport, La Paz, Bolivia

| occupants = 67

| passengers = 64

| crew = 3 (calculated, not mentioned)

| fatalities = 67

| survivors = 0

}}

On 27 October 1975 a Convair CV-440-12 operated by the Bolivian Air Force (BAF) was on a domestic flight from Tomonoco to El Alto Airport, La Paz, Bolivia. At at approximately 11:00 the aircraft crashed in the vicinity of Caranavi. All 67 people aboard died in the crash.

It was the worst disaster in Bolivia's military aviation history.

Accident

The Convair CV-440-12 departed from an airstrip at Tomonoco, 170 kilometres north-east from La Paz.{{cite news |title=Vliegtuigramp in Bolivia: zestig doden |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010572528:mpeg21:a0038 |access-date=3 April 2025 |work=Nederlands Dagblad |via=Delpher |date=29 October 1975 |language=nl}} With destination El Alto Airport, La Paz that is located at 12,000 feet above sea level, being the highest large city worldwide.

Ten minutes after take-off, at around 10:50, the pilot made an emergency call. The pilot was indicating loss of power or insufficient pour on climb-out. The aircraft crashed in rugged semi-mountainous terrain against a steep mountainside in a section of the Andes noted for its deep chasms and snowcapped peaks. The aircraft sheared the outer wings on initial impact with trees, with the fuselage continuing on to impact on a sloping hillside. The imact was followed by an intense fire killing all 67 people onboard.{{Cite web |title=Aircraft Accident|date=30 October 1975 |url=https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1975LAPAZ07648_b.html|access-date=3 April 2025 |via=WikiLeaks|work=Bureau of Inter-American Affairs|language=en}}

The disaster area is heavily forested and was difficult to access. The search for survivors was carried out by the Bolivian Air Force, with many aircrafts including helicopters. The Gendarmerie and the Army also helped in the search operation. The President of Bolivia Hugo Banzer Suarez went to Tomonoco to lead the search operation from there.

Victims

The exact amount passengers was initially unknown. The only available passenger manifest was that from four days earlier of 24 October, showing 54 passengers on the manifest. This passenger list consisted primarily of Bolivian militairy personnel with their their wives, children and other relatives. They returned after having been a weekend at the Bolivian Armed Forece Recreation Center at Tomonoco. The senior military passengers on the list were two Lieutenant colonels of the Ministry of Defence. Most of the other military personnel were junior officers of the Lanza Regiment of the Bolivian Army.

An initial reported stated 55 people were killed.{{cite news |title=Transporttoestel ontploft tijdens vlucht {{!}} Deuk in militaire hooglaag mogelijk van politieke invloed {{!}} Vliegramp Bolivia: 55 doden |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010460538:mpeg21:a0001 |access-date=3 April 2025 |work=Amigoe di Curacao |via=Delpher |date=28 October 1975 |language=nl}} The President of Bolivia Hugo Banzer Suarez stated that 60 people were killed.{{cite news |title=Vliegtuigongeluk in Bolivia |url=https://www.delpher.nl/nl/kranten/view?coll=ddd&identifier=ddd:010375686:mpeg21:a0018 |access-date=3 April 2025 |work=De Waarheid |via=Delpher |date=28 October 1975 |language=nl}} Other initial reports stated 70 people.{{cite news |title=70 believed lost in crash in Andes |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/10/28/archives/70-believed-lost-in-crash-in-andes.html |access-date=3 April 2025 |work=New York Times |date=28 October 1975 |page=3|language=en}}

After recovery and indentification of remains on 27 and 28 October it was revealed that there were 63 passengers on board. After identifications of the bodies it was reported that 20 military officers and six male civilians were on board, with the others being their wives and children. It was reported by the New York Times that were also two nephews of the Bolivian president aboard.

Aftermath

According the the President of Bolivia, it was the worst disaster in Bolivia's military aviation history. The Representational Officer of the United States attended military services on 28 October and extended official condoleances on behalf of the ambassador and US Armed Forces to the appopriate Goverment of Bolivia.

Because the debris was far apart, it was speculated after the crash that the aircraft exploded in the air. An attack was not ruled out in the newspapers, with the current political situation described and possible political motives and political consequences described.

The BAF started an investigation into the cause of the crash. A possible factor of the crash was that the aircraft was grossly overloaded. The used Convair CV-440-12 had only 48 seats, while there were 67 people aboard. During take-off, it is said that a certain safety protocol was not followed.

The investigations never progressed and an credible official report never came. The Armed Forces delivered nailed-down coffins and a collective burial took place. The State made a payment equivalent to $1,000 per family. The course of this aftermath has been criticized by relatives.{{cite web |title=De Tomonoco a Medellín y la tradición de "meterle nomás" |url=https://www.lostiempos.com/actualidad/opinion/20161213/columna/tomonoco-medellin-tradicion-meterle-nomas |website=lostiempos.com |date=13 December 2016|language=es}}

References

External links

[https://asn.flightsafety.org/asndb/329510 Accident] at Aviastion Safety Network
[https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-convair-cv-440-12-metropolitan-tomonoco-67-killed Accident] at Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

{{Draft categories|

Category:1975 in Bolivia

Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1975

Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in Bolivia

Category:October 1975 in South America

Category:Military history of Bolivia

Category:Aviation accidents and incidents involving controlled flight into terrain

Category:Accidents and incidents involving military aircraft

Category:1970s disasters in Bolivia

Category:Andes

Category:History of La Paz Department (Bolivia)

Category:Transport in La Paz Department (Bolivia)}}