Date & Time:
Jan 24, 1952 at 1830 LT
Type of aircraft:
Grumman HU-16 (SA-16) Albatross
Operator:
Registration:
51-001
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Mountain Home - San Diego
MSN:
G-74
YOM:
1951
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
0
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The crew was performing a flight from Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, to San Diego. While cruising by night at an altitude of 11,000 feet, one of the engine failed. All six crew members decided to bail out and abandoned the aircraft that crashed on the slope of the Towne Peak (7,287 feet high) located in the Dolomite canyon, in the Death Valley, about seven miles northeast of Panamint Springs. All six occupants were found unarmed while the aircraft was destroyed. It was later reported that the remaining engine was running normally at impact.
Probable cause:
Engine failure in flight.
