1975 Transporte Aéreo Militar Convair CV-440 crash

On 27 October 1975 a Convair CV-440-12 operated by Transporte Aéreo Militar (TAM) was on a domestic flight from Tomonoco to El Alto Airport, La Paz, Bolivia. At approximately 11:00 the aircraft crashed in the vicinity of Caranavi. All 67 people aboard died in the crash. The crash is believed to have been caused by overloading. It is the deadliest crash involving the Convair CV-240 family of aircraft.

Accident

The Convair CV-440-12 departed from an airstrip at Tomonoco, 170 kilometres north-east from La Paz. 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 a loss of power or insufficient power 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 outer wings sheared off upon initial impact with trees, with the fuselage continuing on to impact on a sloping hillside. The impact was followed by an intense fire, killing all 67 people on board.

The crash site was heavily forested and difficult to access. The search for survivors was carried out by the Bolivian Air Force, with many aircraft 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.