Cubana de Aviación Flight 493

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cubana de Aviación Flight 493
US Navy SNB-1 Kansan
Summary
Date	April 25, 1951
Type	Mid-air collision
Site	Key West, Florida
Total fatalities	43 (all)
First aircraft
Type	Douglas DC-4
Operator	Cubana de Aviación
Tail number	CU-T188
Passengers	34
Crew	5
Survivors	0
Second aircraft
Type	Beechcraft SNB-1 Kansan
Operator	United States Navy
Tail number	39939
Passengers	0
Crew	4

Cubana de Aviación Flight 493, registration CU-T188, was a Douglas DC-4 en route from Miami, Florida, United States, to Havana, Cuba, on April 25, 1951. A US Navy Beechcraft SNB-1 Kansan, registration 39939, was on an instrument training flight in the vicinity of the Key West, Florida Naval Air Station (NAS) 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 AM 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 AM Flight 493, heading south, and the SNB-1, heading west, collided over the Key West NAS at an estimated altitude of 4,000 feet. The SNB-1 immediately fell from the sky, crashing into the water just west of the NAS. Flight 493 continued for some distance before crashing into the water 1.7 miles southwest of the point of collision.

Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) 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 CAB as a failure on the parts of both air crews to exercise due vigilance in looking for and avoiding conflicting traffic. The CAB also called for a review of air traffic control procedures.