Aparecido Camazano Alamino
Brazil

Activities were intense at Grupo Aéreo No.9 (No.9 Air Group) in Arequipa, Peru during a sunny morning in June 30th 1972. Ground crew were giving final adjustments to two big Canberra B.68 bombers from 992nd Squadron, that were due to make a long and secret flight. Despite two aircrafts were being prepared, only one was going to do the mission. All precaution and coordination was because of the importance of this flight, and in case one bomber had a last minute inconvenience, the other would fly instead.

Crew members were ready. Each bomber would fly with a crew of three that after passing Air Ops, they will go to dress up and pick their flight gear, and finally to Air Traffic Dept, were they would be informed about the latest reports on weather conditions enroute and destination, with more emphasis in direction and intensity of winds that was known to be particularly strong at destination.

The flight would be originated in Arequipa, and its destination was Ezeiza Airport in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Altitude was set to be at 40,000 feet using UA-24 airway, flying over La Paz (Bolivia), Cerro and Rosario (Argentina) and finally Buenos Aires. Flight was estimated to be three hours and fifteen minutes, and Córdova was designated as alternative airport in case weather conditions deteriorate. Córdova was at 45 minutes flight from Ezeiza. Aircraft range was four hours and thirty minutes flight, giving a reasonable fuel reserve for other 30 minutes flight to a secondary alternative.

Preparating the Flight
Crew was ready at their stations ! Both bombers had their engines running exactly at 0934 hours. At 0940 they began to taxi to one end of Arequipa Airport´s main runway and precisely at 0945 hours, Canberra serialed FAP-245 (71501), wearing its traditional sand-brown camouflage took-off normally, heading south. The other Canberra returned to the platform, ending this way its short mission!

The crew of FAP-245 was formed by three officers: Chief Commander was 39 years old Lt.Crnl Pablo Varela, 34 years old Major Oscar Carrera and 30 years old Cap. Victor Zeballos as navigator. All three had enough experience in the type and international flight this kind, to perform the mission without any problem.

The objective of the mission was to perform in one day a flight Arequipa-Buenos Aires-Arequipa, apparently as a training to transport diplomatic mail between both countries. Another version from Lt.Crnl Varela was to perform a training parachute jump. In general, a complete mistery was involving the mission. What was the real purpouse of that flight that took so much time and care in the planning and operational precautions?

The Canberra reached its cruise altitude and continued normally in the pre-determined route. Flew over La Paz, and then Cerro, where the visibility was complete, and the Andes Mountains could be seen entirely. After Cerro, a white layer of low clouds make its appearance and in few minutes covered the route completely as a big carpet. Close to Rosario, Argentina, the clouds began to intensify and restrict the visibility. The cruise altitude was also affected with turbulence of moderate intensity.

The Accident
Just 112 miles short of Ezeiza and having their decend path approved under instrumental conditions, they were called by Buenos Aires Control to instruct them to proceed to Córdova, as Ezeiza was being closed due to a cold front with strong turbulence, and there was no estimate to re-open before a couple of hours.

Changing course to Córdova, FAP-245 encounter very strong turbulence caused by big Cumulus Nimbus clouds. Radar gave them a new heading and altitude to continue the mission, being this the last radio contact with Buenos Aires air traffic controller. From here on, all navigation and communication systems collapsed.

Turbulence increased its force and the crew opted to fly in opposite direction to Córdova, in order to avoid the Andes Mountains, keeping a slow descent rate, and hoping to fly away from the bad weather. Nevertheless, Lt.Crnl Varela was unable to keep control of the plane.

With a new increase of turbulence, the plane almost reached maximum speed and structural limits, creeping and having an abnormal flight attitude. Maj. Carrera was helping to level the plane, but it was useless and plane falled down uncontrolably."The plane was falling like a leaf in the wind". Reaching 4,000 feet they finally exited the dense clouds and there was only rain. Shortly after that, visual conditions were back again and they finally could control the strong Canberra.

The turbulence made them reach bingo fuel and they kept altitude and started to search a place where they could make an emergency landing, while insistent calls to Córdova and Buenos Aires air controlers were not answered. Instruments were still not working and the pilot was completely disoriented after spinning in the Cumulus Nimbus.

After 20 minutes of hopeless search, and considering that the plane had fuel for only ten more minutes flight, the crew decided to bail out in parachutes. The first one to jump was Cap. Zeballos, at 4,000 feet using a chest parachute with automatic release system. After the first jump, Lt.Crnl Varela flew in circles to spot the parachute, and ordered Maj. Carrera to jump. Bail out was normal, using a backpack parachute with manual release handles. The cloth was slightly rippen, but he managed to reach soil without problems. Finally, after reaching 1,000 feet and with the engines giving their first sympthoms of fuel starvation, Lt.Crnl Varela ejected safely. Should mention that the Canberra has only one ejection seat. Other two crew members must use conventional parachutes and bail out through a hatch in the fuselage.

After the last crew bailed out, the plane kept flying straight for a few more minutes and then dived in a descent curve of 180° to the left, hitting the ground with force and spreading wings, engines and fuselage parts for about 300 meters. The plane did not explode because the fuel remaining was almost zero.

The Rescue
On the ground, there was a complete surprise, finding themselves in a country with a language different than spanish...it was portuguese, since they have fallen in Brazil, near Alegrete (275 miles from Porto Alegre), where lots of people waited for them, as the Canberra´s low flight had awakened curiosity among the population.

Out of three crew members, two had minor bruises, where Maj. Carrera was driven to Alegrete´s Military Hospital for presenting a twisted left foot. Lt.Crnl Varela, after walking for about 5 miles, was found by Bráulio Machado from Neli Pedroso´s farm. He had a wound close to is left eye. Varela said to Machado: "I am from Peru. Where am I? Please take me to a major army unit". Machado responded that he was in Alegrete, Brazil and the officer replied: "Brazil and Peru are friends. I only want justice". He identified himself as a high rank peruvian officer having suffered a serious air accident.
Bráulio got a mule and took him 12 miles to Aladim Pires da Silva, who drove the officer to Alegrete, were the wounds were healed. Cap. Zeballos was not found near the wreckage site.

FOur days after the accident and with the presence of Peruvian Embassy´s Air Attache in Brazil, Crnl Jorge Barbosa, both officers were embarked to Rio de Janeiro, where they took a commercial flight to Peru.

The Search
The search of Cap. Zeballos was intensified with the help of 3 Neiva O-42 Regentes and a Bell UH-1D helicopter from 4° Reconaissance and Atack Combined Squadron (EMRA-4) based at Santa Maria, but had no results. The non finding of the peruvian officer led to many speculations from the media, where rumors assured the missing person was no other than ex-Governor Leonel Brizola disguised as a pilot (Revista Veja, edition 12/07/72).

After five days with no results in the search, air operations were discontinued. Army, Alegrete´s Police and volunteers kept on thesearch, but with less intensity after the days passed by. There was the opinion that Cap. Zambrano should have evaded the place or was hidden somewhere in the nearby forest, as his parachute and helmet was found close to the aircraft.

On the 28th of July, twenty eight days after the accident, close to 1320 hours, a body was found by Olinto marcal, from Simplicio Dorneles´ farm, less than a mile from the accident site and in advanced decay. The body was completely deformed and covered in the bush after intense rains. Was wearing the typical orange flight vest of FAP pilots on those days.

Accident Conclusions
Based on the ground depresions and the yellowish grass found, it was assumed that the body falled from a high altitude (aprox 3,900 feet), giving to understand that most probably Cap. Zeballoz´s parachute was not properly fastened in the chest and legs and he was freed into a deadly free fall to the ground, having an instant dead.

The parachute falled normally without the body and the helmet flew probably due to the wind, falling 100 yards away from the parachute, what initially led to wrong conclusions in the sense that Cap. Zambrano had escaped alive. The body ws found half mile from the parachute.

An extensive survey on the parachute revealed that it had the the latches closed but the leg harness were broken and also one of the shoulder belts. When the parachute opened violently and stopped the free fall of Cap. Zambrano, he might have been freed by the breaking belts and continued to the ground, while the parachute falled very slowly. According to late investigations, Cap. Zambrano was released from the parachute as one takes out a t-shirt, over the head and shoulders, losing his helmet when the head got stuck with the parachute´s harness. Forense investigation confirmed that it was Cap. Zambrano´s body.
On July 30th, the body was sent to Rio de Janeiro in a Douglas C-47 of 5° Air Transport Squadron (ETA-5) based at Canoas, and then shipped to Peru where he was buried.

Questions and Consequences
A detailed inspection of the aircraft´s remains did not find any evidence that justify all the mistery and secrecy of the mission. Everything there was an indication that FAP-245´s mission in that fatal trip was to pick-up someone or something and not to deliver anything ! Based on the stories told by the survivors, they had no time to destroy any material or document onboard that could compromise the secrecy or the real purpouse of the mission, and they have decided to bail out, without knowing that they were jumping in brazilian territory. Of course, this article reflect only the crew points of view and what they have told to brazilian authorities. If they have told the truth or not, is something we will never know. The real purpose of the mission will stay in the dark forever , and why a flight that started in Arequipa, Peru with destination Buenos Aires, Argentina, finally ended up tragically in Alegrete, Brazil.