1959 — Apr 9, USN P5M 2 Marlin seaplane crash Cheju Island Mt., South Korea –all 10

–10 Aviation Safety Network. USN P5M-2 Marlin crash Cheju Island mt., So. Korea, 4-9-1959.
–10 UPI. “Burned Wreckage of Plane Located off Korea Coast. Miami Daily News-Record, OK, 4-14-1959, p. 1.

Narrative Information

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database:
“Date: 09-APR-1959
“Time: 13:15
“Type: Martin P5M-2 Marlin
“Owner/operator: United States Navy (USN)
“Registration: [Not noted]
“MSN: [Not noted]
“Fatalities: Fatalities :10 / Occupants: 10
“Other fatalities: 0
….
“Location: Cheju Island – South Korea
“Phase: En route
“Nature: Military
“Departure airport: Iwakuni, Japan (06:09) [A US airbase.]
“Destination airport: Korea
“Confidence Rating: Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources
“Narrative: Navy seaplane disappeared on a training flight. Discovered on the
mountain a few days later.

Newspapers

April 9, UPI: “Iwakuni, Japan (UPI) – U.S. Navy authorities reported tonight that a plane with 10 men aboard was missing somewhere in the Korea Straits and that an intensive search for it was underway. Navy headquarters here reported that the craft, a U.S. Navy P5M2 Marlin seaplane was overdue on a flight from the naval air station here and the U.S. Navy and Air Force and Japanese Coast Guard units were conducting ‘an intensive search.’” (UPI. “Navy Seaplane Missing in Korea Straits.” Corona Daily Independent, CA. 4-9-1959, p1.)

April 10, AP: “Tokyo – (AP) – A U.S. Navy seaplane with 10 men aboard is missing between Japan and South Korea, the Navy reported Thursday. It said the P5M1 Marlin last reported near Cheju Island, South Korea. It was on a training flight from Iwakuni Naval Air Station, Japan. American Air Force and Navy planes, five Navy warships and four Japanese coast guard cutters hunted for the missing twin-engine seaplane. Aboard were three officers and seven enlisted men from the Navy’s Patrol Squadron 50 at Iwakuni. Their names were withheld.” (Associated Press. “Navy Plane Is Missing Off Japan.” The Miami Herald, FL. 4-10-1959, p. 1.)

April 14, UPI: “Yokosuka, Japan (UPI) – A seven-man rescue party today reached the top of rugged Mt. Hallasan on Cheju Island in the Korean Straits and found the burned and scattered wreckage of a U.S. Navy plane missing since April 9. The Navy said the leader of the rescue party reported the P5M2 Marlin seaplane demolished and ‘the chances that any of the crew survived is extremely remote.’ Three officers and seven enlisted men were aboard the plane. Cmdr. Andrew H. Reid, Springfield, Ill., chief of the rescue team, reported the impact, explosion and fire destroyed the plane which was on a training mission last Thursday from its base at Iwakuni in southern Japan when it smashed into the 6,396-foot Mt. Hallasan….” (UPI. “Burned Wreckage of Plane Located off Korea Coast. Miami Daily News-Record, OK, 4-14-1959, p. 1.)

Sources

Associated Press. “Navy Plane Is Missing Off Japan.” The Miami Herald, FL. 4-10-1959, p. 1. Accessed 7-9-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/miami-herald-apr-10-1959-p-129/

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database. US Navy Martin P5M-2 Marlin seaplane crash, Cheju Island mountain, South Korea, 4-9-1959. Accessed 7-9-2023 at: https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/200566

UPI. “Burned Wreckage of Plane Located off Korea Coast. Miami Daily News-Record, OK, 44-14-1959, p. 1. Accessed 7-9-2023 at:
https://newspaperarchive.com/miami-daily-news-record-apr-14-1959-p-1/

UPI. “Navy Seaplane Missing in Korea Straits.” Corona Daily Independent, CA. 4-9-1959, p1. Accessed 7-9-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/corona-daily-independent-apr-09-1959-p-1/

Wikipedia. “Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni.” 6-11-2023 edit. Accessed 7-9-2023 at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_Corps_Air_Station_Iwakuni