King Salmon

After takeoff from Kenai Airport, while climbing to an altitude of 2,000 feet, the engine n°1 caught fire and exploded. The crew declared an emergency and elected to return to Kenai when a part of the left wing detached. Out of control, the airplane crashed in a pasture and was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire. All three occupants were killed.

On landing at King Salmon Airport, the left engine fire warning sounded. In the meantime, an explosion occurred in the left wing tip. The crew lost control of the airplane that veered off runway and came to rest in flames. While both occupants escaped uninjured, the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

While approaching South Naknek, the pilot encountered poor weather conditions with low ceiling, fog and icing conditions. On final, the airplane struck the ground and crashed few miles from the airfield. The aircraft was destroyed and the pilot, sole on board, was seriously injured.

Crashed into the Bering Sea shortly after takeoff from a sand beach at Big Creek. The aircraft was destroyed and all five occupants were injured.
Here is the testimony from Jim Larison who was on board to make a documentary for PBS at the time of the accident:
The C-119 aircraft was attempting to take off, but the aircraft could not make lift off speed in time to avoid having to turn right along the beach. As the pilot attempted to turn right we began sliding sideways. The farther right we turned the more the wind became a factor. The aircraft could not gain sufficient airspeed but the speed was great enough that we were light on our wheels so could not make the turn either. Centrifugal force drove us sideways toward the sea. The pilots straightened it up and tried to lift off but we did not have sufficient airspeed to make it into the air. We went out into the Bering Sea perhaps a quarter mile before stalling. The aircraft crashed into the sea and was torn to pieces. The cockpit ended up underneath the fuselage under about 10 feet of water. I was trapped in the wreckage under the fuselage. The pilot came back into the aircraft and freed me from the wreckage. There was no fire. There were five people on board. Luckily no fatalities but survivors were airlifted to Anchorage for medical care. Aircraft was eventually pulled out of the sea and now rests at the mouth of Big Creek in a sand dune.
Photos James 'Jim' Larson.

While approaching Kodiak on a taxi flight from King Salmon, the twin engine airplane crashed in unknown circumstances in the Shelikof Strait located off Kodiak. SAR operations were conducted and eventually suspended after few days as no trace of the aircraft nor the three occupants was found.

While descending to Sitka in limited visibility, the twin engine airplane struck a mountain and crashed few miles from the destination. The aircraft was destroyed upon impact and all five occupants were killed.

Few minutes after takeoff from Elmendorf AFB, while cruising in IMC conditions, the crew contacted ATC and requested the permission to obtain a higher level of flight. Shortly later, the airplane went out of control and crashed in the Cook Inlet. Intensive SAR operations were conducted but no trace of the airplane nor the seven occupants was ever found.
Crew:
Cpt Donald W. Deeter, pilot,
CW3 Ralph G. Battle, pilot,
Passengers:
SP4 Paul E. Jones,
Ltc William I. Barrett Jr.,
Ltc John S. Edge,
Maj James W. Nelson,
Maj Melvin J. Swiney.

The four engine aircraft disappeared in unknown circumstances while completing a flight from Elmendorf AFB to King Salmon. SAR operations were initiated but eventually abandoned after few weeks as no trace of the aircraft nor the four crew members was found. The wreckage was located in 1972 in an isolated area.

At King Salmon on the morning of July 10, 1957, about 0615, following two weeks in Alaska on a combined business and pleasure trip, Mr. C. R. Vose and party boarded N 45376 as its passengers. The flight crew of the executive Lodestar was Pilot Edward Coligny and Mechanic-Fight Engineer Ralph L. Hughes. The Vose party contemplated a flight to Anchorage, Alaska, the first segment of its return trip to Seattle, Washington. Earlier that morning Mr. Hughes had filed a VFR flight plan to Anchorage which proposed a departure time of 0630 and a routing to Anchorage over Airway Green 8 at an altitude of 6,000 feet. The flight plan also showed that the flight duration would be 1 hour and 40 minutes at a cruising speed of 170 knots and that there was sufficient fuel on board for 6 hours and 30 minutes. At 0638, following a period of engine rump on the parking ramp, the flight called the King Salmon tower for taxi and takeoff information. The duty controller cleared it to runway 11 and furnished the latest wind and altimeter conditions: “Wind east-northeast 8; altimeter 29.90.” There being no other traffic, N 45378 was cleared directly onto runway 11 where several persons saw it pause one to two minutes and heard its propellers run through one or two times. The takeoff was started at 0642 and it seemed entirely normal as the aircraft left the runway surface and climbed to between 75 and 100 feet. The landing gear, however, remained extended. The climb continued normally although somewhat steeper to between 150 and 200 feet, at which time the climb of the aircraft steepened rapidly but smoothly until it was nearly vertical. At the peak of the climb the aircraft pivoted counterclockwise, plunged to the group, and exploded. An intense fuel-fed fire followed. The airport traffic controller alerted the U. S. A. F. emergency equipment located on the base and the fire was quickly extinguished; however, not before the aircraft was nearly destroyed. All six occupants were killed.