Manaus Air Force Base
Appearance
Manaus Air Force Base | |||||||
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Base Aérea de Manaus | |||||||
Manaus, Amazonas in Brazil | |||||||
![]() Two C-105A Amazonas at Manaus in 2014 | |||||||
Coordinates | 03°08′45″S 059°59′06″W / 3.14583°S 59.98500°W | ||||||
Type | Air Force Base | ||||||
Code | ALA8 | ||||||
Site information | |||||||
Owner | Brazilian Air Force | ||||||
Controlled by | ![]() | ||||||
Open to the public | No | ||||||
Website | fab | ||||||
Site history | |||||||
Built | 1954 | ||||||
In use | 1970-present | ||||||
Garrison information | |||||||
Current commander | Cel. Av. Luiz Ângelo de Andrade Pinheiro Borges | ||||||
Occupants |
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Airfield information | |||||||
Identifiers | IATA: PLL, ICAO: SBAN, LID: AM9001 | ||||||
Elevation | 78 metres (256 ft) AMSL | ||||||
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Source: DECEA[1] |
Manaus Air Force Base – ALA8 (IATA: PLL, ICAO: SBMN) is a base of the Brazilian Air Force, located in Manaus, Brazil.
History
The base was created in 1970, and between 1970 and 1976 public facilities of Ponta Pelada Airport were shared with the military facilities of Manaus Air Force Base.[2] In 1976, with the opening of Eduardo Gomes International Airport, all public operations were transferred to the new airport. Ponta Pelada Airport was then renamed Manaus Air Force Base and since then it handles exclusively military operations.
Units
The following units are based at Manaus Air Force Base:
- 7th Squadron of the 8th Aviation Group (7°/8°GAv) Hárpia, using the H-60L Black Hawk.[3]
- 1st Squadron of the 9th Aviation Group (1°/9°GAv) Arara, using the C-105A Amazonas.[4]
- 7th Squadron of Air Transportation (7°ETA) Cobra, using the C-97 Brasília, and the C-98A Grand Caravan.[5]
- 4th Aviation Battalion of the Brazilian Army (4° BAvEx) Batalhão Coronel Ricardo Pavanello, using HM-1 Pantera, HM-2 Black Hawk, and HM-4 Jaguar.[6]
Accidents and incidents
- 28 April 1971: Brazilian Air Force, a Douglas DC-6B registration FAB-2414 en route from Manaus to Rio de Janeiro had problems with engine vibrations which forced the crew to return to Manaus. On the ground one of the right hand engines burst into flames. The fire spread to the fuselage causing the death of 16 of the 83 occupants.[7]
- 23 February 1973: Brazilian Air Force, a de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo registration FAB-2372 crashed on landing killing 3 occupants.[8]
Access
The base is located 9 km from downtown Manaus.
Gallery
This gallery displays aircraft that are or have been based at Manaus. The gallery is not comprehensive.
Present aircraft
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Sikorsky H-60L Black Hawk (FAB)
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CASA C-105A Amazonas (FAB)
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Embraer C-97 Brasília (FAB)
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Cessna C-98A Caravan (FAB)
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Eurocopter HM-1 Pantera (Army)
-
Sikorsky HM-2 Black Hawk (Army)
Retired aircraft
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Embraer AT-26 Xavante (FAB)
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Helibras H-34 Super Puma (FAB)
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de Havilland C-115 Buffalo (FAB)
-
Embraer C-95B Bandeirante (FAB)
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Northrop F-5EM (FAB)
-
Eurocopter HM-3 Cougar (Army)
See also
References
- ^ "Campo Ponta Pelada (SBMN)". DECEA (in Portuguese). Retrieved 1 November 2023.
- ^ "Base Aérea de Manaus e 1°/9° GAv completam 39 anos de apoio à Amazônia" (in Portuguese). Força Aérea Brasileira. 14 April 2009. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
- ^ "7º/8ºGAv – Esquadrão Hárpia". Spotter (in Portuguese). Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "1º/9ºGAv – Esquadrão Arara". Spotter (in Portuguese). Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "7ºETA – Esquadrão Cobra". Spotter (in Portuguese). Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "4º BAvEx – Batalhão Coronel Ricardo Pavanello". Spotter (in Portuguese). Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "Accident description FAB-2414". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
- ^ "Accident description FAB-2372". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
External links
- 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