PP-VBI Curtiss C-46
(c/n 33100)
This image is here
in the "better than nothing" category. Maybe VARIG were trying
to give some perspective of the
bulk of the C-46 when they commissioned this shot.
PP-VBI was the
first of some 20 odd C-46s flown by the airline. This one was a
former C-46D-10-CU
(44-77704). It was allotted the US Civil Registration N79052
but probably went straight from
the RFC's storage depot to VARIG (in 1948). They
were used on passenger services in
conjunction with the DC-3s. PP-VBI came to a
tragic end on 2 August 1949 on a flight
from Sao Paulo to Porto Alegre. 20 minutes
out of Porto Alegre a fire in
cargo hold 'G' was noted. The pilot executed an emergency
descent
while the mechanics tried, in vain, to extinguish the fire. The flight
crew members
were then
unable to see their instruments due to heavy smoke in the cockpit and
had to
keep their heads out of the window to carry out an emergency landing in
hilly terrain. The
passengers
crowded in panic towards the forward end of the cabin in an attempt to
escape
the fire. This caused a dangerous and
sudden change in the c of g of the aircraft. The air-
craft
swung violently upon landing on rough ground resulting in 5 fatalities
out of a total
36 souls on board. The official
accident report suggests that that several passengers,
possibly students, bought petroleum
jars from Bahia on board, and some suspicion is
expressed relating to
this incident..