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the USAF." 24/ Almost inunediately however, there began to be some doubt in the minds of the American instruc- tors, as to whether there was need for something more than retraining. Before the end of September, Manuel Gonzales, one of the most experienced of the Cuban C-46 pilots, made such a rough landing that he damaged the landing gear in his aircraft and in the process of attempting to regain control, herniated his diaphragm, and was lost from the program. 25/ In addition to the loss of this C-46, two C-54's flown by the Cubans also were lost before the end of September. One instance was a real comedy of errors. A C-54, under the conunand of Orlando Alvarez Builla, the conunander of the C-54 Squadron, with an experienced co-pilot, navigator, and radio operator -- the cockpit crew claimed a total of roughly "45,000 hours of flying experience -- took off to make a supply drop near the city of Trinidad in the Escambray area of Cuba. Un- fortunately, they dropped their load on a power plant. After a series of misadventures, they had to make an emergency landing in Mexico, near Comitan. The air- craft was confiscated by the Government of Mexico, and the crew's release was obtained only through the - 113 -