Crash of a Vickers 607 Valetta T.3 near RAF Bovingdon: 16 killed

Date & Time: Jan 6, 1954 at 1720 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
WJ474
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Bovingdon – Thorney Island
MSN:
599
YOM:
22
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
13
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
16
Circumstances:
The crew was flying back to his base at RAF Thorney Island after he took part to a rugby game at RAF Bovingdon. The departure was completed in poor weather conditions with low visibility due to snow falls. While climbing to a height of 400 feet, the pilot-in-command made a turn to the left when the aircraft hit trees and crashed in a wooded area located five miles north of the airfield. A passenger was seriously injured while 16 other occupants were killed. The aircraft was destroyed upon impact, except the rear part of the fuselage.
Probable cause:
Investigations were unable to determine the exact cause of the accident. However, the following findings were reported:
- Low visibility due to snow falls,
- The plane was carrying one extra passenger, despite having only 16 passenger seats. However, this was not considered as a contributory factor,
- weather was not considered as a factor,
- An assumption was made that the pilot was trying to fly within sight of the ground, in conditions of poor visibility.

Crash of a Lockheed P2V-5 Neptune off Jeju Island: 10 killed

Date & Time: Jan 4, 1954
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
127752
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Iwakuni – Suwon
MSN:
426-5089
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
10
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
10
Circumstances:
En route by night from Iwakuni to Suwon, the crew informed ground about an engine failure and elected to ditch the aircraft. The wreckage was found two days later and all ten crew members have been killed. It is possible that the accident was the result of an aerial attack by a US Navy Douglas AD-4B Skyraider during a night patrol.
Crew:
Jesse Beasley,
Fredric Prael,
Rex Claussen,
Gordon Spicklemier,
Lloyd Rensink,
Bruce Berger,
James Hand,
Robert Archbold,
Stanley Mulford,
Paul Morelli.
Probable cause:
Engine failure.

Crash of a Casa 2.111 in Albacete: 8 killed

Date & Time: Jan 2, 1954 at 1400 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Seville - Valencia
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
4
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
8
Circumstances:
The aircraft departed Seville-Tablada Airport on a flight to Valencia, carrying four passengers and four crew members. En route, the pilots encountered poor weather conditions with snow falls and icing conditions. They decided to divert to Albacete-Los Llanos AFB for an emergency landing, but on final approach, the aircraft went out of control and crashed in an open field located near Santa Ana, less than 10 km southwest from the airbase. The aircraft was destroyed and all eight occupants were killed.

Crash of a Vickers 607 Valetta C.1 in Aden

Date & Time: Jan 2, 1954
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
VX538
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
YOM:
1950
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff from Khormaksar Airport in Aden, while in initial climb, the crew raised the landing gear according to the published procedures when the airplane stalled and crashed on its belly. It slid for dozen yards before coming to rest. There were no casualties but the aircraft was written off.

Crash of a Canadair C-54GM North Star in Vancouver

Date & Time: Dec 30, 1953
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
17503
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Vancouver – Edmonton – Montreal
MSN:
110
YOM:
1947
Country:
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
43
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The four engine aircraft was performing a flight from Vancouver to Montreal with an intermediate stop in Edmonton on behalf of the 426th Transport Squadron. On the leg from Vancouver to Edmonton, the crew encountered icing conditions when an engine failed. The captain decided to return to Vancouver for a safe landing when on approach, he encountered poor weather with rains falls and icing conditions. On final, the aircraft banked left and right, causing the right wing to hit the runway surface. On impact, the right wing was sheared off and the aircraft went out of control and came upside down. It then slid for dozen yards before coming to rest at the edge of a ditch. All 51 occupants were miraculously evacuated safely while the aircraft was destroyed.

Crash of a Nord 2501 Noratlas near Setcases: 11 killed

Date & Time: Dec 29, 1953 at 2219 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
02/F-SDAC
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Algiers - Mont-de-Marsan
MSN:
2
YOM:
1953
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
9
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
11
Circumstances:
The aircraft was performing a flight from Algiers to Mont-de-Marsan Airbase, carrying nine crew members from the Center of Experimentation at Mont-de-Marsan and two SNECMA employees. While cruising by night over the Pyrénées Mountains, the airplane hit the south slope of the Costabonne Peak, on the Spanish territory. The wreckage was found by Spanish rescuers a week later, on January 5, 1954, about 5 km northeast of Setcases. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and all 11 occupants were killed.
Crew:
Cdt André Auffret,
Cpt Roger Kerrien,
Cpt Jean Tassa,
Lt André Jean Bordes,
Lt André Delsahut,
Adj André Valy,
Sgt Pierre Castera,
Sgt Henri Latreille,
Sgt Louis Pasquinelli.
Passengers:
Georges Le Minor,
Jean Savean.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain.

Crash of a Short S.25 Sunderland GR.5 off Tsushima

Date & Time: Dec 27, 1953
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
RN302
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
En route, the engine number four lost power. Ten minutes later, the engine number two suffered a similar issue. The crew attempted an emergency landing off Tsushima Island. There were no casualties but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
Loss of power on two engines in flight.

Crash of a Canadair C-54GM North Star in Shemya

Date & Time: Dec 27, 1953
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
17505
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
112
YOM:
1947
Location:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The crew was performing a flight from Canada to South Korea with an intermediate stop in Shemya, Aleutian Islands, taking part to the Korean airlift. After touchdown at Shemya Airport, the four engine aircraft went out of control and veered off runway before coming to rest. There were no casualties but the airplane was damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the landing was completed with crosswinds gusting up to 50 knots, which caused the aircraft to veer off runway.

Crash of a Lockheed P2V-3 Neptune in Hong Kong

Date & Time: Dec 22, 1953
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
122964
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The aircraft landed long and was unable to stop within the remaining distance, overran and came to rest in flames. There were no casualties.

Crash of a Boeing B-29-55-MO Superfortress in Ogden: 1 killed

Date & Time: Dec 18, 1953
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
44-86382
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Sioux City - Ogden
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Circumstances:
The crew was performing a flight from Sioux City to Ogden-Hill AFB, Utah. Upon arrival, the pilots mistook Ogden-Hinckley Municipal Airport for the nearly Ogden-Hill Airbase. After touchdown on a too short runway for this kind of aircraft, the heavy bomber overran, hit a 10-foot wide drainage ditch, crossed a highway and came to rest in flames. A crew member, James A. Gerwick, was killed, while six other occupants were injured. The aircraft was destroyed.
Probable cause:
Crew error while landing on the wrong airport.