The Fairchild Hiller version had a wider fuselage, modern avionics for the time, and a capacity of up to 56 people (4 crew members and 52 passengers).

Flight 903 took off on the night of March 13 from Recife/Guararapes–Gilberto Freyre International Airport, making stops in Fortaleza, Parnaíba, and São Luiz.

Around 5:00 am on March 14, they reached the vicinity of Belém, facing bad weather with heavy rain and low visibility.

[4] During the 1960s, the company received the nickname PTA Pobre também avua (Poor also flies) from the society of Pará, due to low fares and the precariousness of its operations (noted after 13 accidents occurred in a span of 12 years).

[5] After the accident, the company was left with only one Hirondelle, while three others were grounded due to lack of parts and one aircraft was undergoing maintenance in the United States.