Date & Time:
Nov 23, 1943 at 0900 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
41-18675
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Nouméa – Luganville
MSN:
6081
YOM:
1942
Country:
New Caledonia
Region:
Oceania
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
6
Pax on board:
19
Pax fatalities:
19
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
25
Circumstances:
The aircraft , call-sign "675-Baker-253", took off from Noumea-La Tontouta Airport, bound for Espiritu Santo. Radio contact was established at 0810LT but the aircraft failed to respond to a scheduled call at 0910LT. Two days later, damaged gear and some personal effects from the plane were found in Nakety Bay. A cold front had passed through the New Caledonia area in the early hours of the morning of the 23rd bringing a cloud layer at 2 to 4 thousand feet and a visibility of 4 to 6 miles, with 3 miles in heavier rain. The route was considered flyable on instruments and several aircraft flew it that day without the pilots reporting any difficulty with the weather conditions. The bodies of the 6 crew-members and 19 passengers (3 RNZAF and 16 USMC from VMTB-232) were never found.
Source:
http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19431123-0
Source:
http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19431123-0
