Curiosities 3 - The impossible landing in Paranavaí/PR
João Henrique Barboza Jorgetto • Sep 16, 2022
Today I will tell you about another curious case from the history of aviation in Brazil! This one is really crazy! Some moments are so crazy that they even seem to be invented, but the story is real and happened in 1949, in Paranavaí, Paraná.
It all started on November 23, with residents noticing something unusual: a large aircraft was flying over the city as if it were looking for a place to land. It was almost dusk and the Paranavaí runway was devoid of resources for landing aircraft at sunset since it had no lighting and was full of weeds around it. The city's residents, noticing the behavior of the aircraft, soon imagined that it was in trouble and a group in a bar in the city decided to act, forming a motorcade that would go to the runway and illuminate it with their headlights. Little by little, the news spread and more people gathered on the runway, helping the pilot to see it and make a safe landing. Crazy story, right? Wait, you haven't heard anything yet!
The aircraft was a gigantic Douglas DC-4, a four-engine aircraft that had never been seen in the city's vicinity. Upon landing, the plane quickly became an attraction in the municipality and many ran there to see who was aboard the plane.
When opening the door, they improvised a ladder and a crew member said in English: "- Is this Brazil?". The answer didn't take long to arrive and a person in the crowd shouted in weak English: "- No, it's Paranavaí!".
The crew were 8 Americans who operated the aircraft on a UN mission to take 74 Mongolian nomads to Paraguay, as they were being persecuted in Mongolia by the Chinese communist government. The trip was affected by bad weather and the pilot had difficulty reaching the city of Asunción, the capital of Paraguay. Looking for an alternative, the pilot then tried to head for Rio de Janeiro. Still, the imminent lack of fuel made him seek help in the skies of Paranavaí, where he miraculously managed to land, thanks to the population. Another problem appeared when everyone got off the plane: how to accommodate so many people in a city of 10,000 people and almost no hotels? The solution was quickly arranged, with most members staying at the city hospital while others were received at the residents' homes. Not even the cultural difficulty prevented the goodwill of Brazilians since the Mongols did not understand any English or Portuguese. The accommodation lasted five days.
The situation would only be resolved with the arrival of the Brazilian Air Force in the municipality to assist in the plane's return to the skies. A team of Brazilian Air Force technicians concluded that the aircraft would not be able to take off. The weight of the aircraft was already sinking its landing gear in the grass. The decision was to take the passengers and their bags by bus to the neighboring city of Mandaguari, which had an airport with a paved runway and in better conditions to receive the DC-4. To remove the plane from Paranavaí, the Brazilian Air Force dismantled seats and instructed the crew to try to take off without the weight of passengers and bags; the mission would be to take the aircraft to Mandaguari, find the crew, reinstall seats and continue the trip to Curitiba, refuel and only then land in Paraguay. The plan worked; the aircraft took off effortlessly and finally landed in Mandaguari, where a crowd was already waiting for it, aware of the story. The crew was placed on the plane, the Brazilian Air Force provided fuel, and Commander Harley Rogers and the Transocean Douglas DC-4 fulfilled their mission.