Ponta Pelada Airport

Ponta Pelada Airport Aeroporto da Ponta Pelada
IATA: PLL – ICAO: SBMN
Summary
Airport type	Public/Military
Serves	Manaus
Elevation AMSL	81 m / 267 ft
Coordinates	03°08′46″S 059°59′11″W / 3.14611°S 59.98639°WCoordinates: 03°08′46″S 059°59′11″W / 3.14611°S 59.98639°W
Map
PLL Location in Brazil
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 09/27 2,318 7,605 Asphalt
Sources: World Aero Data[1]

Ponta Pelada Airport (IATA: PLL, ICAO: SBMN) was until 1976 the main airport of Manaus, Brazil. Between 1970 and 1976 facilities were shared with Manaus Air Force Base of the Brazilian Air Force.^[2] On March 31, 1976, all civilian operations were transferred to the newly opened Eduardo Gomes International Airport. On the same occasion, Ponta Pelada Airport was renamed Manaus Air Force Base and its control was transferred to the Brazilian Air Force. Since then it handles exclusively military operations.

History

The following airlines once served the airport: Cruzeiro do Sul, Lóide Aéreo Nacional, Panair do Brasil, Real Transportes Aéreos, Transbrasil, Varig, VASP.

Accidents and incidents

Accidents

• 24 May 1952: a Lóide Aéreo Nacional Curtiss C-46D-15-CU Commando registration PP-LDE during take-off from Ponta Pelada Airport stalled when trying to return to the airport following an engine failure. It crashed into the Rio Negro. The 6 occupants died.^[3][4]
• 7 December 1960: a Real Curtiss C-46A-60-CK Commando registration PP-AKF belonging to Transportes Aéreos Nacional operating flight 570 from Cuiabá to Manaus-Ponta Pelada crashed on Cachimbo mountains. The engine no.2 failed during the flight. Altitude was lost, the pilot jettisoned some of the cargo but the aircraft continued to lose height. It crashed and caught fire. 15 passengers and crew died.^[5][6]
• 14 December 1962: a Panair do Brasil Lockheed L-049 Constellation registration PP-PDE en route from Belém-Val de Cans to Ponta Pelada Airport crashed in the jungle, during a night approach, due to unknown causes, approximately 45 km from Manaus at the location of Paraná da Eva. All 50 passengers and crew died.^[7][8]

Incidents

• 8 October 1969: a Cruzeiro do Sul Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle VI R en route from Belém-Val de Cans to Ponta Pelada Airport was hijacked by 4 persons who demanded to be flown to Cuba. The hijack lasted less than a day and there were no victims.^[9]
• 12 November 1969: a Cruzeiro do Sul NAMC YS-11/11A en route from Ponta Pelada Airport to Belém-Val de Cans was hijacked by a person who demanded to be flown to Cuba. There were no victims.^[10]
• 25 April 1970: a VASP Boeing 737-2A1 en route from Brasília to Ponta Pelada Airport was hijacked by a person who demanded to be flown to Cuba. The hijack lasted a day.^[11]
• 14 May 1970: a VASP Boeing 737-2A1 en route from Brasília to Ponta Pelada Airport was hijacked by a person who demanded to be flown to Cuba. The hijack lasted a day.^[12]

Access

The airport is located 9 km (6 mi) from downtown Manaus.

See also

• Manaus Air Force Base

References

1. Airport Information on World Aero Data
2. "Base Aérea de Manaus e 1°/9° GAv completam 39 anos de apoio à Amazônia" (in Portuguese). Força Aérea Brasileira. 14 April 2009. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
3. "Accident description PP-LDE". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
4. Germano da Silva, Carlos Ari César (2008). "Lima delta xadrez". O rastro da bruxa: história da aviação comercial brasileira no século XX através dos seus acidentes 1928-1996 (in Portuguese) (2 ed.). Porto Alegre: EDIPUCRS. p. 170. ISBN 978-85-7430-760-2.
5. "Accident description PP-AKF". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
6. Germano da Silva, Carlos Ari César (2008). "Melancia voadora". O rastro da bruxa: história da aviação comercial brasileira no século XX através dos seus acidentes 1928-1996 (in Portuguese) (2 ed.). Porto Alegre: EDIPUCRS. pp. 194–196. ISBN 978-85-7430-760-2.
7. "Accident description PP-PDE". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
8. Germano da Silva, Carlos Ari César (2008). "Um rastro na selva". O rastro da bruxa: história da aviação comercial brasileira no século XX através dos seus acidentes 1928-1996 (in Portuguese) (2 ed.). Porto Alegre: EDIPUCRS. pp. 223–228. ISBN 978-85-7430-760-2.
9. "Incident description October 8, 1969". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
10. "Incident description November 12, 1969". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
11. "Incident description April 25, 1970". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
12. "Incident description May 14, 1970". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 30 May 2011.

External links

• Airport information for SBMN at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.Source: DAFIF.
• Airport information for SBMN at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
• Current weather for SBMN at NOAA/NWS
• Accident history for PLL at Aviation Safety Network
• Ponta Pelada Airport Photo Archive at airliners.net