Date & Time:
Nov 26, 1943
Type of aircraft:
Consolidated PBY Catalina
Operator:
Registration:
08118
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
11
Crew fatalities:
3
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
Ensign Johnson was crewman in a Navy PBY-5A that had been running baselines for calibrating new LORAN stations in Alaska. While attempting to enter Unalaska Bay for a landing at Dutch Harbor, during weather conditions of low visibility and rain, the pilot made a landfall in the bay which he did not recognize. Feeling that a turn would probably result in a collision with a mountainside, the pilot elected to land in this bay. After readying the aircraft for a water landing he proceeded to make a normal landing, but was unaware of the height of the ground swells (approximately 5-feet). Immediately after contacting the water, the aircraft nosed into a ground swell and broke apart at the pilot's compartment. The wing broke off and the plane filled with water and sank. ENS Charles E. Johnson was killed, along with two Navy crewmen. The ten others aboard, including the pilot, were injured but survived.
