Cubana de Aviación Flight 493 US Navy SNB-1 Kansan | |
Date: | April 25, 1951 |
Type: | Mid-air collision |
Occurrence Type: | Accident |
Site: | Key West, Florida |
Total Fatalities: | 43 (all) |
Plane1 Type: | Douglas DC-4 |
Plane1 Image: | Douglas DC-4 Pan Am.jpg |
Plane1 Caption: | A DC-4 similar to the accident aircraft |
Plane1 Operator: | Cubana de Aviación |
Plane1 Tailnum: | CU-T188 |
Plane1 Passengers: | 34 |
Plane1 Crew: | 5 |
Plane1 Survivors: | 0 |
Plane2 Type: | Beechcraft SNB-1 Kansan |
Plane2 Image: | Beechcraft SNB-1 Kansan front quarter view.jpg |
Plane2 Caption: | A Beechcraft SNB-1 Kansan similar to the accident aircraft |
Plane2 Operator: | United States Navy |
Plane2 Tailnum: | 39939 |
Plane2 Passengers: | 0 |
Plane2 Crew: | 4 |
Plane2 Survivors: | 0 |
Cubana de Aviación Flight 493, registration was a Douglas DC-4 en route from Miami, Florida, to Havana, Cuba, on April 25, 1951. A US Navy Beechcraft SNB-1 Kansan, BuNo 39939, was on an instrument training flight in the vicinity of Naval Air Station Key West, Florida, at the same time. The two aircraft collided in mid-air over Key West, killing all 43 aboard both aircraft.
Flight 493 departed Miami at 11:09 a.m. that day and was cleared to climb to 4,000 feet on a direct heading to Key West. Approximately ten minutes later, the SNB-1 took off from Key West NAS for simulated instrument training. Although the flight was not cleared to a specific altitude or heading, standard instrument training procedures were in place. At 11:49 a.m. Flight 493, heading south, and the SNB-1, heading west, collided over the Key West NAS at an estimated altitude of 4,000 feet.
Civil Aeronautics Authority (CAA) investigators determined that there were no mechanical problems with either aircraft. Both were operating under visual flight rules, as the weather at the time of the crash was clear and calm. The probable cause of the accident was given by the CAA as a failure on the parts of both air crews to exercise due vigilance in looking for and avoiding conflicting traffic. The CAA also called for a review of air traffic control procedures.