Crash of a Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina in Detroit: 2 killed

Date & Time: May 15, 1949
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
34014
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
Water looped while landing in the Detroit River, in Detroit. Two crew members were killed and six others were injured. The aircraft was lost.

Crash of a Consolidated PBY-6A Catalina into the Pacific Ocean

Date & Time: Mar 27, 1949 at 1439 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
64028
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Kwajalein - Johnston
MSN:
2098
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
11
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
En route from Kwajalein to the Johnston atoll, the crew encountered an unexpected situation and the captain decided to make an emergency landing into the ocean about 608 miles southwest of the Johnston atoll. The crew was rescued nine hours later and the Catalina was destroyed by gunfire and sank.

Crash of a Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina off Buenaventura: 5 killed

Date & Time: Feb 5, 1949 at 0904 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
HK-134
Survivors:
Yes
Country:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
12
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
Crashed on landing into the Bay of Buenaventura. Both pilots and three passengers were killed.

Crash of a Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina IIA in Jambi: 2 killed

Date & Time: Dec 29, 1948
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
RI-005
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
MSN:
292
YOM:
1941
Location:
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
The aircraft was grounded in Jambi for few days following technical problems. Shortly after takeoff from the Batang Hari River in Jambi, the seaplane stalled and crashed into the river and sank. Both crew members were killed. The accident occurred during combat with the Dutch forces.
Crew:
Ralph Richard Cobley, pilot,
John Londa, mechanic.
Source & photos:
http://museumperjuanganrakyatjambi.blogspot.ch/2012/02/ri-005.html

Crash of a Consolidated PB2B-2 Catalina on Lord Howe Island: 7 killed

Date & Time: Sep 28, 1948 at 1930 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
A24-381
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Schedule:
Lord Howe Island - Lord Howe Island
MSN:
61163
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
9
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
7
Circumstances:
Rathmines-based No 11 Squadron suffered the loss of a Catalina amphibian and seven crewmen in a night crash on Lord Howe Island on this day. The aircraft had completed the outward leg of a navigation exercise to the island and altered course for home when a serious fuel leak began filling the compartment with petrol vapor 20 minutes into the return leg. The captain decided to turn back to Lord Howe and attempt a landing on the island’s sheltered lagoon. After crossing the island west to east, the aircraft turned back before clipping the ridge line below Malabar Hill at about 1930LT. The Catalina careered down the slope before exploding in flames. Local residents who rushed to the scene extracted two seriously injured crew from the wreck. The death toll was the highest suffered by the RAAF in a peacetime accident up until that time.
Crew (11th Squadron):
F/Lt Malcolm D. Smith, †
F/Lt James McCoy, †
F/Lt William D. Keller, †
F/Lt Alex McKenzie, †
Sydney L. Piercey, pilot, †
W/O Sydney H. Bacon, †
W/O Donald E. Salis, †
F/LT Bert R. Bradley,
W/O John D. Lea.
Source:
http://airpower.airforce.gov.au/HistoryRecord/HistoryRecordDetail.aspx?rid=534

Crash of a Consolidated PB2B-1 Catalina IVB in Mt Førdesveten: 13 killed

Date & Time: Sep 6, 1948 at 1000 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
K-AK
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Schedule:
Stavanger - Stavanger
MSN:
28172
YOM:
1943
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
9
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
6
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
13
Aircraft flight hours:
770
Circumstances:
The plane took off from Stavanger-Sola Airport and flew on contact along the coastline northwards in the direction of Herdla island, north of Bergen. The altitude was about 100 meters just below the clouds. When passing over the Marsteinen lighthouse, course was set towards Bergen and they climbed to 200 m. Shortly after the plane hit the mountain Førdesveten just below the summit. The whole crew of nine and four passengers were killed. Two passengers in the tail section escaped with injuries. The aircraft had the dual registration K-AK and JX412.
Crew:
Lt Klaus Døscher, pilot
Sgt Rolf Mikkelsen, copilot,
Lt Walther Wangberg, navigator,
Thor K. Johnsen, wireless operator,
Sgt Haakon Haaland, wireless operator,
Egil N. Fauske, wireless operator,
Sgt Christoffer Kjellsen, mechanic,
Sgt Jens Oskar Jensen, air gunner,
Sgt Magnus Dyngeland, mechanic.
Passengers:
Andreas Ekedal, †
Cpt Alf Tollefsen, †
Sgt Bjørn Ørland, †
Knut Gjerde, †
Inge Sviland,
Willy Nilsen.
Source:
http://flyblader.com/onewebmedia/Nr 9 Catalina.pdf

Crash of a Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina off Macao: 25 killed

Date & Time: Jul 17, 1948 at 1800 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
VR-HDT
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Macau – Hong Kong
Location:
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
23
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
25
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff from Macau, a hijacker came into the cockpit and killed the captain with a gun. The copilot lost control of the aircraft christened 'Miss Macau' that crashed into the Zhujiang River Estuary, between Macau and Hong Kong. A passenger was seriously injured while all 25 other occupants were killed. This event was considered as the first official hijacking of a commercial aircraft in the Civil Aviation History.
It was later reported that lone survivor, Huang Yu, was the admitted leader of the hijacking plot. He survived by jumping out the emergency exit just before the crash. He was brought to court by the Macau Police, but the Macau court suggested that the prosecution should be brought in Hong Kong instead, since the plane was registered in Hong Kong and most of the passengers were from there. However, the British colonial government in Hong Kong stated that the incident happened over Chinese territory in which the British have no jurisdiction. Since no state claimed authority to try him, Huang was released without trial from Macau prison on 11 June 1951, and was then deported to China.
Probable cause:
Sudden loss of control by the pilot as a result of being incapacitated by an armed passenger. The police authorities in Macau were in possession of certain evidence which appeared to establish beyond reasonable doubt that the crew of the aircraft were subjected to armed attack by certain passengers shortly after takeoff from Macau for Hong Kong.

Crash of a Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina in Puerto Cabello

Date & Time: Jul 15, 1948
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
YV-C-APJ
Flight Type:
Country:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Crashed in unknown circumstances into the Puerto Cabello harbor. The crew fate remains unknown but the aircraft was lost.

Crash of a Consolidated PBY-6A Catalina off Long Island: 12 killed

Date & Time: May 9, 1948 at 0300 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
64015
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Roosevelt Roads - Key West
Country:
Crew on board:
12
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
12
Circumstances:
Crashed into the sea off Long Island, Bahamas, while performing a night flight from Roosevelt Roads NAS (Ceiba, Porto Rico) to Key West. No trace of the aircraft nor the crew was ever found.

Craqsh of a Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina in Madrid AFB

Date & Time: Jan 10, 1948
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
C-414
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Cartagena – Madrid
MSN:
529
Country:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
On final approach to Madrid AFB, the crew decided to make a go around when the seaplane stalled and crashed short of runway threshold. All three crew members were rescued while the aircraft was destroyed. Engine failure is suspected.