Atlantic Ocean

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Schedule:

Stephenville - McDill

MSN:

16430

YOM:

1951

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

On a flight from Stephenville to McDill AFB in Tampa, while cruising along the Florida coast, the crew encountered heavy winds and was forced to ditch the aircraft in rough seas about 43 miles off Cape Canaveral. Two crew members were killed and 12 others were rescued.

Crash of a Martin PBM-5A Mariner into the Atlantic Ocean: 36 killed

Date & Time: Nov 9, 1958 at 1321 LT

Type of aircraft:

Martin PBM Mariner

Operator:

Aero Topografica

Registration:

CS-THB

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation

Schedule:

Lisbon – Funchal

MSN:

45409

YOM:

1944

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

10671

Copilot / Total flying hours:

3367

Copilot / Total hours on type:

890

Aircraft flight hours:

2240

Circumstances:

The airplane was schedule to leave Lisbon at 0700LT but the departure was postponed to midday due to poor weather conditions. It finally left Lisbon-Cabo Ruivo Seaplane Base at 1223LT bound for Funchal, Madeira Island. Shortly after takeoff, the crew was cleared to climb to 8,000 feet and 17 minutes later, the pilot requested the permission to descent to 6,000 feet. At 1321LT, the captain was able to send a brief message 'QUG emergency'. As nothing further was heard from the crew, SAR operations were conducted but eventually suspended few days later as no trace of the aircraft nor the 36 occupants was found. The brevity of the message "QUG EMERGENCY" in which QUG means in the international code 'I am forced to alight immediately' and the absence of an answer to questions, show that there was an abnormal situation on board. The signal "QUG" may also mean, "I will be forced to alight at. . . ' when followed by the indication of the place where the alighting will probably take place.

Probable cause:

Due to lack of evidence, the exact cause of the accident could not be determined with certainty. However, the assumption that the accident may have been the result of an explosion or a major technical issue was not ruled out.

Final Report:

Crash of a Lockheed L-1049H-01-06-162 Super Constellation into the Atlantic Ocean: 99 killed

Date & Time: Aug 14, 1958 at 0345 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

PH-LKM

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation

Schedule:

Amsterdam – Shannon – Gander – New York

MSN:

4841

YOM:

1958

Flight number:

KL607E

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

886

Circumstances:

While cruising at an altitude of 4,000 meters by night, the crew contacted ATC to report his position and all was ok on board. About ten minutes later, the airplane disappeared from radar screens and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean about 180 km northwest of the Irish coast. SAR operations were dispatched on the scene and several debris and bodies were found in the early morning. All operations were suspended after few days and all 99 occupants were considered as deceased.

Probable cause:

On the basis of the evidence available and the investigation of possible serious threats to safety, the Board cannot establish the cause of the accident with certainty. Moreover, investigation of the possibility that the cause of the accident may have been a bomb explosion has yielded no conclusive facts to support such a hypothesis. The statements in the press to this effect have either been based on misunderstandings or else were tendentious. On the other hand, the Board attributes a high degree of probability to hypothesis that the cause of the accident is related to 'overspeeding' of one of the outboard propellers resulting from oil pollution after a gear had been damaged when the supercharger of the corresponding engine was accelerated (shifted). This probably took place close to the time of the accident. The overspeeding of the propeller, owing to the obstruction of metal particles in the regulator valves may have been such as to cause the propeller pitch to decrease and the propeller could not be feathered. The condition might provoke a flight disturbance which could be corrected only by prompt and powerful handling of aileron and rudder controls. in view of the rapidity with which this defect develops and taking into account that recognition of the nature of this malfunction requires a certain time, it is not always possible for the crew to intervene early enough to restore conditions of controlled flight. With respect to the presumed cause of the accident the Board has no grounds to suppose that the occurrence of the presumed malfunction might be attributable to neglect on the part of maintenance personnel or to incorrect measures taken by the crew or that the crew had been at fault in piloting the aircraft after the malfunction had occurred.

Crash of a Lockheed WV-2 Super Constellation into the Atlantic Ocean: 22 killed

Date & Time: Feb 20, 1958 at 0535 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

141310

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Boeing KC-97 Stratotanker

Schedule:

Argentia - Lajes

MSN:

4434

YOM:

1956

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew was completing a flight from Argentia-Bristol Field NAS, Newfoundland, to Lajes Airbase, Azores Islands. While flying by night about 177 km west of Crovo Island, Azores, the airplane disappeared and crashed into the ocean. SAR operations were conducted for several days but no trace of the airplane nor the 22 occupants was ever found.

Probable cause:

Due to lack of evidences, the exact cause of the accident could not be determined with certainty.

Crash of a Boeing KC-97F-55-BO Stratotanker into the Atlantic Ocean

Date & Time: May 9, 1957 at 0616 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

51-0258

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Schedule:

Sidi Slimane - Lajes

MSN:

16325

YOM:

1951

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

While cruising about 550 km southeast of the Azores Islands, the crew contacted ground and informed ATC about a double engine failure. The radio operator was able to give his exact position before the aircraft was ditched into the ocean. All seven crew members were evacuated safely and the aircraft floated for ten days before it was sunk by the crew of USS Wisconsin.

Probable cause:

Double engine failure in flight.

Crash of a Martin P5M-2 Marlin into the Atlantic Ocean: 10 killed

Date & Time: Nov 9, 1956 at 2150 LT

Type of aircraft:

Martin P5M-2 Marlin

Operator:

Registration:

127705

Flight Phase:

Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Hamilton - Hamilton

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew left Hamilton-Kindley Field Airport at 1827LT for a maritime patrol flight. En route, by night and poor weather conditions (heavy rain falls), the crew lost control of the airplane that crashed into the ocean not far from a Liberian freighter. All ten occupants were killed when the aircraft sank and was lost. It is believed that an engine failed and/or caught fire during climb.
Crew:
P3c Wendell Frederick Beverly,
P3c Billy Gene Comer,
P3c Jesse William Grable,
P3c Richard Woods Montgomery,
Lt Charles William Patterson,
P2c Lyle Freeman Quimby,
Lt Cyrus Eugene Reid Jr.,
Airman Bobbie Lee Sanders,
Cdr John Milton Sweeney,
P1c Robert Wayne Taylor.

Crash of a Douglas R6D-1 into the Atlantic Ocean: 59 killed

Date & Time: Oct 10, 1956 at 2210 LT

Type of aircraft:

Douglas DC-6

Operator:

Registration:

131588

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Douglas C-124 Globemaster II

Schedule:

Lakenheath – Lajes – McGuire

MSN:

43691

YOM:

1953

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew was performing a flight from RAF Lakenheath to McGuire AFB with an intermediate stop at Lajes, Azores Islands. At 2055LT, while cruising at an altitude of 15,000 feet, the crew informed ATC about his position and everything was ok. More than hour later, at 2210LT, the aircraft went out of control and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean about 590 km southwest of Land's End, Cornwall, UK. The crew was unable to send any distress call. Few debris such as life vests and the nose wheel were found. All 59 occupants have been killed. It was reported that some debris recovered showed traces of fire, leaving open several assumptions.

Crash of a Douglas C-124C Globemaster II into the Atlantic Ocean: 17 killed

Date & Time: Mar 2, 1956

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

53-0021

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site: