1948 Lae air accident

The 1948 Lae air accident occurred on 18 April 1948, when a Guinea Air Traders Lockheed Hudson IIIA crashed near the town of Lae in the Territory of New Guinea (part of present-day Papua New Guinea). The aircraft had just departed Lae on a flight via Bulolo to Wau when the left engine stopped working. The aircraft stalled, entered a spin and crashed onto an island in the Markham River, four kilometres west of Lae airport. On the flight were two crew members and 35 passengers, and all perished in the accident. Only the pilot had a seat and therefore a seat belt, since a cargo aircraft was in use on the accident flight. The Lae accident is the worst air accident to have occurred in the territory of Papua New Guinea.

The probable cause of the accident was determined to be pilot error, since during the pilot's training he was at no point required to demonstrate that he was capable of controlling an aircraft flying on one engine during takeoff, landing and stall. In addition, the accident was affected by the aircraft's incorrect loading, as a result of which the centre of gravity was too far aft. The engine failure was caused by a fatigue fracture in the engine's drive gear.