1952 — Jan 19, Crash, US Mil. Chart., NW Orient 324, Korea-WA, off Sandspit BC — 36

–36  AP, “Korean Airlift Plane Lost…Pacific…,” Centralia Daily Chronicle, WA. 1-19-1952, 1.

–36  ASN. Accident Description. Douglas C-54E-5-DO (DC-4) Saturday 19 January 1952, 0138

–36  Baugher. 1944 USAAF Serial Numbers (44-001 to 44-30910). 10-15-2011 rev.

–36  Planecrashinfo.com. “1952…Accident Details…Northwest Orient Air…Jan 19, 1952…”

–36  Liefer. Broken Wings: Tragedy & Disaster in Alaska Civil Aviation. 2003, p. 114.

 

Narrative Information

 

ASN: “Flight 324, was a flight from Tokyo, Japan, to McChord AFB, via Shemya and Anchorage. It departed Elmendorf AFB at 21:11 for the IFR flight to McChord AFB. The flight climbed to the 10,000-foot assigned altitude and at 22:13, shortly after passing Middleton Island, requested permission to descend to 8,000 feet. ARTC cleared the flight to descend and the new cruising altitude was reached at 22:22. The trip was uneventful until opposite Sitka, Alaska, when the pilot reported, at 00:03, that no. 1 propeller had been feathered. The prop had been feathered due to a “broken” oil cooler and the pilot decided to divert to Sandspit. The flight was cleared to that point and proceeded without further incident on three engines. The aircraft touched down at a point about one-third down the runway. After a short roll, power was applied at about the mid-point of the strip and the aircraft took off, barely clearing a low fence and driftwood which was approximately two feet high at the end of the runway. The aircraft, at near stalling speed during the attempted climb-out, settled into the water, bounced, and came to rest 26 degrees to the left and approximately 4,500 feet from the end of the runway. All or nearly all of the passengers evacuated the aircraft, with no known serious injuries. However, air and water temperatures were near freezing; drowning and exposure accounted for 36 fatalities.”

 

“Probable Cause: ‘A nose gear retraction difficulty in connection with an icing condition or a power loss, which made the aircraft incapable of maintaining flight.’”[1] (Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. Northwest Orient Airlines Douglas C-54E-5-DO (DC-4) Saturday 19 January 1952, 01:38. Flight Safety Foundation.)

 

Baugher: “Douglas C-54E-5-DO Skymaster….9053 (c/n 27279/DO225) bought by Transcontinental and Western Air in 1946 as N45342, named “Shamrock 601”.  Reregistered to Trans World Airlines May 17, 1950.  Leased by Northwest Airlines in 1951. Crashed into water after overshooting Sandspit Airport, British Columbia, Canada Jan 19, 1952.  36 of 43 onboard killed.”  (Baugher. 1944 USAAF Serial Numbers (44-001 to 44-30910). 10-15-2011 rev.)

 

Planecrashinfo.com: “The crew chose to divert to Sandpit after the No. 1 engine was shut down. The aircraft crashed into the Pacific Ocean one mile offshore after overshooting the runway during the emergency landing. A nose gear retraction difficulty in connection with an icing condition or a power loss, which made the aircraft incapable of maintaining flight. Most of the fatalities were from exposure to the frigid water.”  (Planecrashinfo.com.)

 

Newspaper

 

Jan 19: “Sandspit Airport, B.C.—(AP)—A Far East airlift plane with 43 aboard crashed into the sea near this island airport Saturday, and 36 persons were feared lost. Seven were rescued soon after the crash, and several hours later one body was recovered. It is the consensus that the bodies of the others are in the submerged fuselage, said the airport radio operator here.

 

“Rescuers waited for low tide, about 12 noon to get into the plane, which rested on a gravel bar three-fourths of a mile offshore in about 15 feet of water.  Boats stood by the wreckage as hope dwindled for the others aboard.  An official of the British Columbia transport department here said he understood none of the survivors was injured seriously….

 

“The big plane, enroute from, the Far East to McChord, Wash., Air Force Base, carried 40 military passengers and a crew of three.  It splashed into the icy North Pacific at 1:38 a.m. trying for an emergency landing at the airport.

 

“Small boats sped to the scene three-fourths of a mile offshore, and the tugboat Labouchere joined the search as planes circled and dropped flares….

 

“The Coast Guard in Seattle reported the plane floated for a time; then went down in shallow water leaving only one wing and the tail section in sight.

 

“Planes rushed to the isolated airport from Canadian, Alaska and United States bases.  Some carried droppable boats.  An Air Force public relations officer at McChord also said reports indicated there were only seven survivors…

 

“The airlift plane, attempting a three-engine landing, made a pass at the small field but missed and kept going.  ‘It seemed to be airborne again,’ a public relations officer said, “but it veered sharply to the left and shortly afterward shouts were heard from the water northeast of the airport.  “The wreckage was spotted and identified by another plane.  Shouts from the water, asking help, were heard at 3:34 a.m., about two hours after the crash.” “…Then small boats reached the scene and the seven were rescued.  They were to be taken to a nearby hospital.

 

“The Air Force reported the airlift plane drifted north in Hecate Strait, between the islands and the British Columbia coast, after the crash.  The surface temperature was 33 above, with light snow, and a 22-mile-an-hour wind was blowing parallel to shore.  Officers said this would make it difficult for survivors to reach shore unaided….

 

“The plane, chartered by the Military Air Transport Service and operated by a Northwest Airlines crew, was Northwest’s flight 324 from Tokyo, via Shemya in the Aleutian Islands, and Anchorage, Alaska.  McChord reported only that the plane was carrying military passengers. An officer said there might be Korean veterans, military personnel from Japan or even civilian military employes aboard.” (Associated Press. “Korean Airlift Plane Lost in Pacific Ocean,” Centralia Daily Chronicle, WA. 1-19-1952, p. 1.)

 

Sources

 

 

Associated Press. “Korean Airlift Plane Lost in Pacific Ocean,” Centralia Daily Chronicle, WA. 1-19-1952, p. 1.  Accessed 12-29-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/centralia-daily-chronicle-jan-19-1952-p-1/

 

Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. Northwest Orient Airlines Douglas C-54E-5-DO (DC-4) Saturday 19 January 1952, 01:38. Flight Safety Foundation. Accessed 12-29-2017 at: https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19520119-0

 

Baugher, Joseph F. 1944 USAAF Serial Numbers (44-001 to 44-30910). Oct 15, 2011 revision. Accessed 12-21-2011 at: http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1944_1.html

 

Liefer, G. P. Broken Wings: Tragedy & Disaster in Alaska Civil Aviation.  Blaine, WA:  Hancock House, 2003.

 

 

 

[1] Cites Civil Aeronautics Board File No. 1-0017.