1958 — Feb 20, US Navy WV2 early warning plane lost ~100M west of the Azores –all 22

–23 Assoc. Press. “Big Navy Plane Lost in Azores.” Zanesville Signal, OH, 2-21-1958, p. 1.
–22 Baugher. US Navy…Marine Corps BuNos Third Series (140053 to 145061). 11-7-2011.
–22 Gero, David. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. 1999, p. 70.
–22 Stars and Stripes. “16 Killed, 22 Missing in AF, Navy Crackups.” 2-23-1958, p. 4.
–22 Stars and Stripes, European ed. “Ships Continue Hunt for 22 on Navy Plane.” 2-24-1958, 1

Narrative Information

Baugher: “141310 (VW-15) disappeared Feb 20, 1958 300 km north of Azores. No trace of aircraft or crew of 22 ever found.” (Baugher. US Navy…Marine Corps…(140053 to 145061). 11-7-2011.)

Gero:
“Date: 20 February 1958 (c.05:35)
“Location: North Atlantic Ocean
“Operator: US Navy
“Aircraft type: Lockheed WV-2 (141310)

“In the early years of the Cold War, before satellites and sophisticated ground-based systems, WV-2 early warning aircraft played an important role in the defense of the US coastline. This particular aircraft, with 22 crewmen aboard, which was part of the so-called ‘Atlantic Barrier’ fleet, vanished for reasons unknown while flying along a rhumb line oriented on a true heading of 113 degrees that stretched from Argentia, Newfoundland, Canada, to Lajes Air Base, on the island of Terceira, in the Azores. A Navy board of inquiry concluded that 1451310 had been ‘suddenly and catastrophically’ destroyed approximately 100 miles (150km) west of Corvo, another island in the Azores, in such a manner as to prevent any distress message from being transmitted. It was dark at the time, but there were no indications of any thunderstorm activity or other adverse weather conditions in the area.

“Numerous conjectures were considered by the Navy as to the cause of its disappearance, among them catastrophic material failure and the clandestine action of a foreign aircraft, but the following were considered the most likely: a) A strike of lightning or a static discharge causing total electrical failure; b) The explosion of an accumulation of fuel vapor in some part of the aircraft; c) A loss of a single propeller or an entire blade, or d) A loss of control resulting from an error or failure by the crew. There was, however, evidence that seemed to contradict some of these theories. One endorsement to the investigative report noted that the operating history of the WV-2 and its close relative, the R7V-1 transport, did not support the probability of an in-flight explosion, and that such an event would be expected to distribute some buoyant items that searchers should have found floating on the surface of the ocean. And a fire in the aircraft should have afforded the crew ample time for an emergency radio transmission. It was also noted that the loss of an entire propeller or individual blade, though not unknown to piston-engine aircraft, would probably be progressive in nature and not result in an instantaneous loss of control. Nevertheless, some six months after the loss of 141310, a Super Constellation airliner very similar to the WV-2, crashed off the coast of Ireland, the sudden nature of which prevented the crew from sending a distress message, and an investigative board concluded with a degree of high probability that the disaster resulted from the over-speeding of an outer propeller.” (Gero, David. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. 1999, pp. 70-71.)

Newspapers

Feb 21, Associated Press: “Santa Maria, Azores (AP) — U.S. and Canadian planes skimmed the Atlantic northwest of the Azores today in search of a U.S. Navy ‘barrier patrol’ plane missing with 23 crewmen aboard. Several U. S. ships joined in the hunt. The big four-engine radar guard, a Super-Constellation type known as the WV2, last reported about 3 a.m. Thursday on a routine flight to the Azores from its base in Argentia, Nfld. It said then it was 1,000 miles from Newfoundland and about 200 from the Azores. The plane was listed as overdue three hours later….The WV2 was one of 15 U.S. aircraft making radar patrols over the Atlantic to detect the approach of attack on the Americas.” (Associated Press. “Big Navy Plane Lost in Azores.” Zanesville Signal, OH. 2-21-1958, p. 1.)

Feb 23, Stars and Stripes: “….a Navy Super-constellation radar picket plane with 22 aboard, was lost over the Atlantic on Thursday [Feb 20]. The aircraft was on a round-trip patrol flight from Argentia Air Base, Newfoundland, to the Azores over 1,300 miles of open water. It last reported to its base by radio at 3 am Thursday about 200 miles from the Azores….” (Stars and Stripes. “16 Killed, 22 Missing in AF, Navy Crackups.” 2-23-1958, p. 4.)

Feb 24, Stars and Stripes: “Lajes, Azores Islands (UP) – A fleet of warships methodically combed a wide area north and west of the Azores Sunday in the fourth day of an air-sea search for a U.S. Navy patrol plane lost with 22 men. A spokesman for the joint U.S.-Portuguese air base here said despite bad weather the hunt would continue as long as the slightest hope of locating survivors exists.” (Stars and Stripes, European ed. “Ships Continue Hunt for 22 on Navy Plane.” 2-24-1958, p. 1)

Sources

Associated Press. “Big Navy Plane Lost in Azores.” Zanesville Signal, OH. 2-21-1958, p. 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=7573436

Baugher, Joseph F. US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos Third Series (140053 to 145061). Nov 7, 2011 revision. Accessed at: http://www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/thirdseries17.html

Gero, David. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. UK and Newbury Park, CA: Patrick Stephens Limited, an imprint of Hayes Publishing, 1999.

Stars and Stripes. “16 Killed, 22 Missing in AF, Navy Crackups.” 2-23-1958, p. 4. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=133432902

Stars and Stripes, European ed. “Ships Continue Hunt for 22 on Navy Plane.” 2-24-1958, p. 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=133432923