Date:	Tuesday 27 September 1949
Time:
Type:	Douglas C-54A-1-DO (DC-4)
Owner/operator:	Flota Aérea Mercante Argentina - FAMA
Registration:	LV-ABI
MSN:	7445
Year of manufacture:	1943
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 27
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed, written off
Category:	Accident
Location:	near Castilla, BA -   Argentina
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi
Departure airport:	Quito
Destination airport:	Buenos Aires-Morón Airport, BA (SADM)
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
The Douglas DC-4, LV-ABI, crashed following an in-flight fire.
The airplane was returning from a mercy mission to help victims of a recent earthquake in Ecuador. Among the passengers were doctors, nurses, assistants, and government officials.

At 18:45 the flight was en route in good weather conditions passing the town of Castilla, in the province of Buenos Aires, at an altitude of 1,200 meters, when the crew reported estimating to arrive at Morón Airport in 20 minutes.
Suddenly, there was a loud bang in the cockpit, caused by a leak in an oxygen pump which started a small fire.

Commander Regúnaga, who was at the back of the passenger cabin, rushed to get the fire extinguisher but failed to put out the fire, which began to spread.
The copilot was in control of the aircraft and attempted an emergency landing.
The aircraft made a gear up landing while the fire spread as the fuel tanks were compromised in the crash.

El Tiempo 28 September 1949, p8


https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_C-54_Skymaster
https://loudandclearisnotenought.blogspot.com/p/aeroposta-flota-historica.html
https://loudandclearisnotenought.blogspot.com/2010/04/boeing-b-17e-fortress-lv-rto-y-lv-rtp.html
http://www.histarmar.com.ar/AVIACION/DC4-LV-ABI.htm

El Tiempo 28 September 1949, p8
https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lL4qAAAAIBAJ&sjid=p3wEAAAAIBAJ&hl=es&pg=7184%2C300587
EL ORDEN, Miércoles 28 de Septiembre de 1949
http://www.santafe.gov.ar/hemerotecadigital/diario/5998/?page=1

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
18-Feb-2025 13:51	ASN	Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ]