Meteorological / Weather

On a flight from Bukhta Somnitelnaya (Wrangel Island) to a drifting ice floe in the central Arctic Basin when the ski of the right main landing gear hit an ice hummock during the landing run and broke. The nose of the aircraft touched the ice and the fuselage broke into three when falling back onto the ice. All 6 crew and 4 passengers escaped unhurt and were evacuated by another aircraft. The wreck was set on fire and abandoned on the drifting ice floe. It was spotted by an aircraft of the Icelandic Coast Guard about 155 miles north-west of Iceland (approximately 10-20 miles off Scoresby Sound on Greenland's East Coast) 11DEC1959 but could no longer be found a few days later because of fog. It eventually sank.

On a flight from Mys Zhelaniya (Novaya Zemlya) to Dikson Island in support of the Arctic expedition 'Sever 7' when the crew was ordered to land on the ice near Mys Zhelaniya for training purposes. The skis of the landing gear broke through the ice during the landing run. All 7 crew and 3 passengers escaped unhurt but the aircraft could not be recovered in time and sank during a storm 06APR55.

The crew left Yerevan Airport at 0513LT for a meteorological survey mission and completed several maneuvers between 3,500 and 5,000 meters in cloudy conditions over the region of the Sevan Lake. Following an uneventful mission, the crew decided to return to Yerevan and started the descent from the northeast when, at an altitude of 3,160 meters, the airplane hit the east slope of Mt Kara-Dag (3,231 meters high) located about 12 km west of the village of Tsaghkachen. Rescuers arrived on site a day later and all six occupants have been killed.

While flying at low altitude into the typhoon Doris, the aircraft (VW-3) crashed into the ocean in unclear circumstances off Agrihan Island. No trace of the aircraft nor the crew was found.

The aircraft left Sydney-Mascot at 1034LT on a meteorological mission consisting of clouds measurement with four crew members and two employees of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). While flying in poor weather conditions, the crew obtained the permission to descend from 6,000 to 2,000 feet when both engines failed simultaneously. The airplane went out of control and crashed into the sea about 27 miles east of Wollongong. Few debris were found floating on water and all six occupants have been killed.
Crew:
F/Lt A. Tafe, pilot,
S/Ldr P. G. Fisher, copilot,
W/O G. G. Bocquet, radio operator,
ACW M. E. Costello.
Passengers:
Mr. F. Campbell,
Mr. R. S. Styles.

The crew was returning to his base at McClellan AFB after a 19 hours mission consisting of weather reports. On final approach, a propeller went into reverse. The airplane went out of control and crashed in a huge explosion about three miles short of runway. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and all 10 crew members were killed.
Crew:
Maj Bruce Acebedo,
S/Sgt Carlton J. Fose,
M/Sgt Edwin M. Fultz,
Cpt Guilford A. Hopkins,
S/Sgt. Elbert E. King,
Cpt Robert L. Kizer,
2nd Lt August I. Lam,
S/Sgt Hayden C. Schulz,
T/Sgt George R. Shook,
Cpt Leonard B. Winstead.

While on a weather reconnaissance mission over Pyongyang, the crew made his last radio contact at 1225LT when the aircraft disappeared in unknown circumstances. No trace of the airplane nor the crew was found.
Crew:
1st Lt George Bain,
A1C Edwin W. Collins,
T/Sgt Carl M. Spence,
1st Lt Russell J. Wolfgram.

The crew left Belfast-Aldergrove Airport to perform a meteorological mission over the North Atlantic. While cruising southeast of the Hebrides Islands, the four engine aircraft went out of control and crashed into the sea about 24 km southeast of Barra Head. SAR operations were conducted but eventually suspended few days later as no trace of the aircraft nor the crew was found. On January 16, 1951, the body of the captain and some debris were found by fishermen. It is believed that the loss of control may have been caused by a sudden in flight fire.
Crew (202nd Squadron):
S/L Terence Anthony Cox, pilot,
P/O Donald Nattriss, copilot,
Sgt Edward Arthur Keeble,
Sgt John Frederick Stanley Black,
F/Sgt John Henry Cobbold,
Sgt William Richard Martindale,
Sgt Stuart Gordon Purches,
Sgt Gerald Walklate.

The aircraft left Belfast-Aldergrove Airport at 0850LT on a meteorological mission over the Atlantic Ocean. The crew maintained radio contact with the ground until 1143LT when it disappeared from radar screens. SAR operations were conducted on a large area west of the Outer Hebrides Islands but were eventually suspended as no trace of the aircraft nor the crew was found. On board were three passengers and four crew members from the 202nd Squadron.

The crew was engaged in a meteorological survey mission and left Ohakea AFB at 0700LT. Ten minutes later, while cruising in the Waitohu Valley in poor weather conditions, the aircraft hit the slope of a mountain located in the Tararua Mountain Range. SAR operations were conducted but eventually suspended few days later as no trace of the aircraft nor the 4 crew members was found. On March 19, 1949, walkers found the wreckage of the aircraft in a wooded area located near Otaki.
Crew:
F/Lt Walter Jacobs,
F/Lt Sydney Langton,
W/O Hedley Newell,
AC1 Anthony Hayhurst.