Military

Flight Type:

Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Baghdad – Cairo

MSN:

361

YOM:

1949

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

While cruising by night at an altitude of 8,000 feet, the twin engine aircraft hit the slope of Mt Jebel al Lawz located about 50 km east of the Gulf of Aqaba. The wreckage was located few days later and all three crew members were killed.
Crew:
F/Lt K. W. Brimley,
F/O B. Sherburn,
Sgt T. O. Powell.

Probable cause:

It appears that the aircraft deviated from the prescribed flight plan by 88 km to the south due to strong winds blowing from the north. Due to the low visibility caused by night, the crew did not realize he was off track and failed to distinguish the mountain.

Crash of a Fairchild C-119F-FA Flying Boxcar at Pope AFB: 7 killed

Date & Time: Mar 30, 1954 at 1000 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

51-2679

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Consolidated PBY Catalina

Schedule:

Pope – Godman

MSN:

10668

YOM:

1951

Location:

Pope AFB (Fayetteville)

North Carolina

Country:

United States of America

Region:

North America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Shortly after takeoff from Pope AFB, while climbing, the airplane suffered an engine failure, stalled and crashed in a huge explosion on the mess hall at Fort Bragg. Two crew members and five officers on the ground were killed while nine other people were injured among them four crew members.
Those killed were:
1st Lt Albert W. Parks, pilot,
A1c Rudolph Valentino Short,
Cpl Robert Dervan,
Cpl Donald F. Greenlee,
Pvt James A. Macre,
Cpl Osman S. Palmer.
Those injured were:
Cwo William Angeloff,
1st Lt Raymond Fitzsimmons, copilot,
Pvt Ralph E. Salisbury,
A1c Eugene R. Snyder,
Sgt Henry C. Clay,
Pfc William Cook,
Pfc Edward Ellison,
Edward A. Ross,
Cpt Charles L. Shirley.

Probable cause:

Engine failure during initial climb.

Crash of a Consolidated PB2B-1 Catalina IV-B on Bjørnøya Island: 8 killed

Date & Time: Mar 28, 1954 at 1500 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

KK-N

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Tromsø – Bjørnøya – Isfjord – Longyearbyen – Ny-Ålesund – Hopen – Tromsø

MSN:

28129

YOM:

1943

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane was carrying one passenger and eight crew members of the 333rd Squadron on a mail dropping mission out from Tromsø. After an uneventful dropping mission at Bjørnøya Island, Isfjord Radio, Longyearbyen, Ny-Ålesund and Hopen, in the Svalbard region, the crew was returning to Tromsø when he decided to make a last low pass over the Bjørnøya station. While flying at a height of 40 meters in snow falls, the pilot-in-command completed a turn to the right when the right wing struck the ground. Out of control, the airplane crashed and disintegrated in one meter of snow. A radio operator was rescued while eight other occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the accident was caused by the aircraft losing altitude through a sideslip, possibly due to the pilot losing spatial awareness in the poor visibility.

Crash of a De Havilland L-20A Beaver on Mona Island

Date & Time: Mar 21, 1954

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

52-6081

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar

MSN:

445

YOM:

1953

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Crashed on landing at Mona Island Airstrip. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair and the pilot was rescued.

Crash of a Fairchild C-119F-FA Flying Boxcar in Lothian: 18 killed

Date & Time: Mar 19, 1954 at 2229 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

51-7993

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Oklahoma City – Bolling – Mitchel

MSN:

10732

YOM:

1951

Location:

Lothian

Maryland

Country:

United States of America

Region:

North America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

While cruising under VFR in poor weather conditions, the crew contacted ATC and requested the permission to continue under IFR. Awaiting the permission, the pilot-in-command lost control of the airplane that dove into the ground and crashed in Lothian, about 14 miles east of Andrews AFB. All 18 occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

It was determined that weather conditions were poor at the time of the accident and that the crew should never start the flight under VFR rules. While cruising under VFR rules in IFR conditions, the crew lost control of the aircraft.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-45-DL near Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée: 20 killed

Date & Time: Mar 4, 1954 at 1430 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

42-24096

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Tripoli – Rome – Hahn

MSN:

9958

YOM:

1943

Location:

Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée

Alpes-Maritimes

Country:

France

Region:

Europe

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The aircraft left Wheelus AFB in Tripoli in the morning on a liaison flight to Hahn, near Frankfurt, with an intermediate stop at Rome-Ciampino Airport. Before departure from Rome, the crew received a basic weather bulletin and while cruising over the Alps, he encountered poor weather conditions with low clouds and snow falls. While cruising at an altitude of 8,000 feet, the airplane hit the slope of a mountain located near Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée, about 65 km north of Nice. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 20 occupants were killed.
Crew:
Cpt Edward B. Eden 1.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the aircraft deviated from the prescribed flight path by several km due to strong winds gusting up to 80 knots. Due to low visibility caused by poor weather conditions (clouds and snow falls), the crew failed to recognize the heading deviation and was unable to distinguish the mountain. In such condition, the crew did not proceed to any correction until the aircraft impacted terrain.

Crash of a Douglas C-47D in Gunsan

Date & Time: Mar 3, 1954

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

44-76639

Flight Type:

Site:

MSN:

16223/32971

YOM:

1945

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Crashed in unknown circumstances at Gunsan Airfield. The crew fate remains unknown.

Crash of a Short S.25 Sunderland MR.5 off Milford Haven: 7 killed

Date & Time: Mar 3, 1954

Type of aircraft:

Short S.25 Sunderland

Operator:

Registration:

NJ267

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Just after takeoff, while climbing, the seaplane nose down, hit the water surface and crashed upside down, broken in two. Quickly on the scene, rescuers were able to evacuate four people while seven others, including four members of the crew, were killed.

Crash of an Avro 652 Anson XIX near Jever AFB

Date & Time: Feb 26, 1954

Type of aircraft:

Avro 652 Anson

Operator:

Registration:

PH844

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site: