1957 — Dec 23, USN WV-2 Simulation goes awry/Crash, off Kakuku Point, Oahu, HI– 19

— 19 Baugher. US Navy…Marine Corps BuNos Third Series (140053 to 145061). 11-7-2011.
— 19 Daily Sitka Sentinel, AK. “Navy plane down in sea…four survivors found.” 12-24-1957, 1
— 19 Gero. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. 1999, p. 70.
— 19 NFPA. “Large Loss of Life Fires of 1957.” Quarterly of the NFPA, 51/4, Apr 1958, p.293.
— 19 Schmitt, Robert C. Catastrophic Mortality in Hawaii. 2-2-2009, p. 77.

Narrative Information

Baugher: “143197 crashed at sea off Hawaii Dec 23, 1957 when power was lost during simulated emergency. 19 of 23 on board killed.” (Baugher. US Navy…(140053 to 145061). 11-7-2011)

Gero, Military Aviation Disasters:
“Date: 23 December 1957 (c.16:00)
“Location: North Pacific Ocean
“Operator: US Navy
“Aircraft type: Lockheed WV-2 (143197)

“A Simulated emergency led to a real disaster about 30 miles (50km) north of Kakuku Point, on Oahu, one of the Hawaiian islands, in this first major crash of one of the early warning/radar intel¬ligence aircraft designed to protect US coastlines. The WV-2 was on a training syllabus flight and had descended beneath a low overcast when the aircraft commander and designated check pilot instituted the drill, a simulated fire in the forward cargo compartment. As part of this exercise, he instructed the pilot to turn off the aileron boost during the drill, then to return his aileron booster control to the ‘on’ position.

“In attempting to regain elevator boost, however, one of the men in the cockpit, the pilot, check pilot or one of the two flight engineers, moved the emergency shut-off levers in the wrong direction, to the ‘blast air, fuel and hydraulic off’ position. This error deprived all four engines of their fuel supply, resulting in a total loss of power. Its propellers windmilling, 143197 rapidly descended from an approximate height of 1,000ft (300m) and finally slammed into the water with its undercarriage and flaps in the retracted position and with its nose and left wing slightly low, breaking into at least two major sections on impact. Fire then erupted and burned for a while on the surface of the ocean.

“Among the 23 crewmen, four injured survivors were rescued, including the commander. Searchers recovered only two bodies, but several of those killed were known to have survived the impact. Around the time of the accident, the cloud base was down to less than 1,000ft (300m) and the visibility only about half-a-mile (0.8km) in the area where it had been raining, higher outside those areas. With the wind blowing from an east-north easterly direction at 15 to 25 knots, the sea was rough. It was ruled that the check pilot had failed to initiate remedial action when the WV-2 began to lose altitude and while at the relatively slow indicated air speed of around 180mph (290kph) during the fire drill, and also failed to exercise authority when a real emergency developed. Neither did he activate the emergency warning bell when the ditching was imminent.” (Gero 1999 pp. 71-72.)

Schmitt: “December 23, 1957: Only four of the 23 men aboard a Navy Super Constellation WV-2 survived when their aircraft crashed 25 miles north of Oahu.” (Schmitt, Robert C. Catastrophic Mortality in Hawaii. 2-2-2009, p. 77.)

Newspaper

Dec 24: “Honolulu (AP) A four-engine navy radar plane with 23 men aboard exploded and plunged into the sea last night. At daybreak four survivors and the bodies of two men had been recovered. An intensive air and sea search was underway for more survivors, in an area 25 miles north of the plane’s base on Oahu island.

“Cmdr. Guy Howard, 41, executive officer of the plane, which was attached to an early warning wing, was quoted as saying an explosion occurred. He also said he believed other crewmen were afloat in the area in life jackets. Howard said one man was holding a dead crewman, whose body
was aboard the crash boat. Several empty lifejackets were retrieved by the crash boat crew. All the survivors had burns, cuts and bruises.

“Howard was checkout pilot of the training flight of the huge radar plane. The man who was supposed to have piloted the ship, Cmdr. Gordon G. Brady, was at the pier when the crash boat reached Kaneohe Marine Corps air station.

“The other survivors were Lt. (J. G.) John Thomas Kline. Lt. (J. G.) Richard L. Rentschler, and aviation technician 3c Franklin A. Henry. As they came off the boat one of them said to ambulance attendants ‘Not me. Boys. I’m all right.’ The ambulance took them to Tripler army hospital.

“Commander Howard, a pilot for 18 years, wears the Distinguished Flying Cross.

“The search for additional survivors was intensified at daybreak. The crash boat crew said they heard cries for help and picked up the four men from among the debris floating in the area.

“Seas were heavy, with waves at times topping 14 feet. An armada of surface craft and rescue planes sped to the area and picked up four survivors and two bodies shortly after midnight. Two crash boats — rescue craft from Kaneohe Marine air station — pulled the survivors and dead men from the water. While navy, air force and coast guard planes searched the blackness, destroyers, cutters and merchant ships converged on the area. Visibility was six miles…

“The 7½ million dollar radar-crammed plane made its last check report at 3:50 P.M. It was 100 miles northeast of its base at Barbers Point naval air station on Oahu. A short time later radar screens picked it up only 25 miles north of the island, apparently circling for a landing at Barbers Point. Suddenly it dropped off the screen.

“The super constellation took off at 10 a.m. yesterday.

“Survivors, when picked up, said they signaled a search plane with a flashlight.

“The four-engine plane was attached to an aircraft early warning wing based at Barbers Point on Oahu…” (Daily Sitka Sentinel, AK. “Navy plane down in sea…four survivors found.” 12-24-1957, p. 1.)
Sources

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

Daily Sitka Sentinel, AK. “Navy plane down in sea; only four survivors found.” 12-24-1957, p.1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=53384962

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

National Fire Protection Association. “Large Loss of Life Fires of 1957.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 51, No. 4, April 1958, pp. 289-293.

Schmitt, Robert C. Catastrophic Mortality in Hawaii. 2-2-2009, 86 pages. Accessed 9-20-2012 at: Catastrophic Mortality in Hawaii – eVols – University of Hawaii. Accessed at: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CB4QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fevols.library.manoa.hawaii.edu%2Fbitstream%2Fhandle%2F10524%2F150%2FJL03074.pdf%3Fsequence%3D2&ei=UPSvVK2bLoO4yQTO74L4DA&usg=AFQjCNHER9A57xAr6d0m9mJcnsc4F2Z8Gg&bvm=bv.83339334,d.aWw