Manaus Air Force Base Explained

Manaus Air Force Base
Ensign:	ALA 8 Manaus Air Force Base.gif
Native Name:	Portuguese: Base Aérea de Manaus|italic=yes
Country:	Brazil
Type:	Air Force Base
Coordinates:	-3.1458°N -59.985°W
Pushpin Map:	Brazil
Pushpin Map Caption:	Location in Brazil
Pushpin Label:	SBMN
Ownership:	Brazilian Air Force
Open To Public:	No
Code:	ALA8
Current Commander:	Cel. Av. Luiz Ângelo de Andrade Pinheiro Borges
Occupants:	7th Squadron of the 8th Aviation Group 1st Squadron of the 9th Transportation Group 7th Squadron of Air Transportation 4th Aviation Battalion Brazilian Army
Iata:	PLL
Icao:	SBAN
Lid:	AM9001
Elevation:	78m (256feet)
R1-Number:	09/27
R1-Length:	2042m (6,699feet)
R1-Surface:	Asphalt
Footnotes:	Source: DECEA^[1]

Manaus Air Force Base – ALA8 is a base of the Brazilian Air Force, located in Manaus, Brazil.

History

The base was created in 1970, and between 1970 and 1976 public facilities of Ponta Pelada Airport were shared with the military facilities of Manaus Air Force Base.^[2] In 1976, with the opening of Eduardo Gomes International Airport, all public operations were transferred to the new airport. Ponta Pelada Airport was then renamed Manaus Air Force Base and since then it handles exclusively military operations.

Units

The following units are based at Manaus Air Force Base:

• 7th Squadron of the 8th Aviation Group (7°/8°GAv) Hárpia, using the H-60L Black Hawk.^[3]
• 1st Squadron of the 9th Aviation Group (1°/9°GAv) Arara, using the C-105A Amazonas.^[4]
• 7th Squadron of Air Transportation (7°ETA) Cobra, using the C-97 Brasília, and the C-98A Grand Caravan.^[5]
• 4th Aviation Battalion of the Brazilian Army (4° BAvEx) Batalhão Coronel Ricardo Pavanello, using HM-1 Pantera, HM-2 Black Hawk, and HM-4 Jaguar.^[6]

Accidents and incidents

• 28 April 1971: Brazilian Air Force, a Douglas DC-6B registration FAB-2414 en route from Manaus to Rio de Janeiro had problems with engine vibrations which forced the crew to return to Manaus. On the ground one of the right hand engines burst into flames. The fire spread to the fuselage causing the death of 16 of the 83 occupants.^[7]
• 23 February 1973: Brazilian Air Force, a de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo registration FAB-2372 crashed on landing killing 3 occupants.^[8]

Access

The base is located 9 km from downtown Manaus.

Gallery

This gallery displays aircraft that are or have been based at Manaus. The gallery is not comprehensive.

Retired aircraft

See also

• List of Brazilian military bases
• Ponta Pelada Airport

Notes and References

1. Web site: Campo Ponta Pelada (SBMN). DECEA. 1 November 2023. pt.
2. Web site: Base Aérea de Manaus e 1°/9° GAv completam 39 anos de apoio à Amazônia . Força Aérea Brasileira . 14 April 2009 . 26 April 2011 . pt . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110719030923/http://www.fab.mil.br/portal/capa/index.php?mostra=2672 . 19 July 2011 .
3. Web site: 7º/8ºGAv – Esquadrão Hárpia . Spotter . 21 April 2021 . pt.
4. Web site: 1º/9ºGAv – Esquadrão Arara . Spotter . 21 April 2021 . pt.
5. Web site: 7ºETA – Esquadrão Cobra . Spotter . 21 April 2021 . pt.
6. Web site: 4º BAvEx – Batalhão Coronel Ricardo Pavanello . Spotter . 21 April 2021 . pt.
7. Web site: Accident description FAB-2414 . Aviation Safety Network . 12 May 2011.
8. Web site: Accident description FAB-2372 . Aviation Safety Network . 14 April 2021.