| Date: | Tuesday 29 April 1952 |
| Time: | 04:40 |
| Type: | Boeing 377 Stratocruiser 10-26 |
| Operator: | Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) |
| Registration: | N1039V |
| MSN: | 15939/12 |
| First flight: | 1949-09-28 (2 years 7 months) |
| Total airframe hrs: | 6944 |
| Engines: | 4 Pratt & Whitney R-4360-B6 |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 9 / Occupants: 9 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 41 / Occupants: 41 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 50 / Occupants: 50 |
| Aircraft damage: | Damaged beyond repair |
| Location: | 450 km (281.3 mls) SW of Carolina, MA ( |
| Phase: | En route (ENR) |
| Nature: | International Scheduled Passenger |
| Departure airport: | Rio de Janeiro-Galeão International Airport, RJ (GIG/SBGL), Brazil |
| Destination airport: | Port of Spain-Piarco Airport (POS/TTPP), Trinidad and Tobago |
| Flightnumber: | PA202 |
Narrative:
Flight 202 originated at Buenos Aires, destination New York, with en route stops scheduled at Montevideo, Uruguay; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Port of Spain, Trinidad.
The flight departed Buenos Aires 18:52 UTC. After a scheduled stop at Montevideo the flight arrived at Rio de Janeiro at 01:05, April 29. The flight departed Rio de Janeiro at 02:43 for a direct off-airways flight to Port of Spain. At 06:16 the flight reported abeam of Barreiras, flying at 14,500 feet under VFR conditions and estimating abeam of Carolina, Brazil, at 07:45 UTC. This was the last known message from the flight. The aircraft was later found to have crashed in dense jungle.
Probable Cause:
PROBABLE CAUSE: “The separation of the no.2 engine and propeller from the aircraft due to highly unbalanced forces, followed by uncontrollability and disintegration of the aircraft for reasons undetermined.”
