1963 — Jan 30, US Navy ASW P-3A crash, Atlantic, ~250M off Atlantic City, NJ –all 14
— 14 Associated Press. “Three Planes Crash; 27 Persons Missing,” January 30, 1963.
— 14 Gero. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. 1999, p. 83.
Narrative Information
Gero:
“Date: 30 January 1963 (c.02:00)
“Location: North Atlantic Ocean
“Operator: US Navy
“Aircraft type: Lockheed P-3A (149672)
“…One of the first of the then-new four-engine turboprop patrol aircraft to be delivered to the Navy, 149672 had been in service only about half-a¬-year and was participating in an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) training exercise when it crashed approximately 250 miles…east-south-east of Atlantic City, New Jersey, US, in an area where the depth of the water was around 12,000ft (3,700m). “Searchers recovered some wreckage and the body of the aircraft commander, but there were no survivors among the 14 crewmen assigned to 149672.
“As part of the exercise, the P-3 was to have conducted a mock search and attack on an American submarine, although the location of the crash indicated that the crew may have been pursu¬ing a false contact. No distress message from 149672 was heard, and examination of recovered debris indicated a post-impact fire or explosion, but no such in-flight occurrence. Nor was there evidence that the survival equipment found floating in the ocean had been used.
“It was dark at the time, and the weather in the area consisted of scattered clouds, with bases of 2,500 to 3,000ft (750-1,000m) and a visibility of 10 miles (c.15km). The moon and stars could not be seen due to the overcast, and there was no visible horizon or any outside visual references.
“The aircraft had been engaged in low- altitude ASW tactics when it crashed, but neither the cause nor its final maneuvers before impact could be determined. Though the pilot may have flown it into the water, when considering his experi¬ence and qualifications, a Navy board of inquiry considered it more likely that some extenuating circumstances came into play. Perhaps significant were a number of shortcomings identified in the aircraft type. Tests indicated performance limita¬tions with respect to weak static longitudinal sta¬bility that resulted in poor trim characteristics during ASW operations, when accurate maneuvering close to the water is required. Experience also showed that the altitude hold feature of the automatic flight control system had a tendency to disengage without apparent warning at low altitudes due to fluctuating signals in its APN-117 radar altimeter. And if electrical power were to be lost, the altimeter would continue to indicate the last reading without a system failure warning to the crew. Since standard operating procedures for most pilots was to fly with the autopilot on and the altitude hold engaged, such a situation could create a false sense of security in the event of such a power loss, a fact of which most P-3 crews were found to be unaware. Subsequent modifications were made in the type to correct oscillations of the altimeter, provide red flashing lights to warn of altimeter disengagement and of masking the drive pointer of the APN-117 when the altitude hold feature is engaged. Such changes were incorporated into aircraft in production, and retrofit kits used to modify those already in service. Until these correc¬tive actions were completed, the type was restricted to a minimum height of 500ft (150m) at night or in instrument flight rule conditions during ASW missions.” (Gero 1999, pp. 83-84)
Newspaper
Jan 30, Associated Press: “NEW YORK (AP)–A four-engine Navy plane carrying 14 crewmen crashed in the Atlantic today with no trace of survivors. Hopes had been raised by the sighting of two liferafts by search planes, but as a sweep of the vicinity by planes and ships wore on there were no reports of any sign of life.
“The plane, based at Patuxent Naval Air Station, in Maryland, crashed about 230 miles southeast
of New York. “Apparently none of the 14 persons aboard the Patuxent-based Navy antisubmarine patrol plane that crashed this morning has survived,” said Navy Lt. Richard Fralik, public information officer at the base.
“The missing aircraft, a four-engine P3A Orion, left the Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Maryland at 7:54 last night on antisubmarine patrol and a training mission. It last was heard from at 2:48 a.m. when it made radio contact with Patuxent. It was scheduled to return to Patuxent at 5 a.m.” (AP, Jan 30, 1963.)
Sources
Associated Press. “Three Planes Crash; 27 Persons Missing,” January 30, 1963. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?img=100887321&firstvisit=true&src=search¤tResult=0
Gero, David. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. UK and Newbury Park, CA: Patrick Stephens Limited, an imprint of Hayes Publishing, 1999.