1963 — June 3, Northwest 293 Crash, North Pacific, off Annette Island., AK — 101

–101  CAB. AAR. Northwest Airlines…Douglas DC-7C…Annette Island, AK, June 3, 1963.

–101  Liefer. Broken Wings: Tragedy & Disaster in Alaska Civil Aviation. 2003, p. 113.

 

Narrative Information

 

CAB: “Synopsis  A Northwest Airlines, Inc., Douglas DC-7C, N 290 MATS charter Flight 293, crashed in the north Pacific Ocean approximately 116 nautical miles west-southwest of Annette Island, Alaska, at approximately 1816 G.m.t., June 3, 1963.

 

“The flight departed McChord AFB, Washington, for Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, carrying 95 passengers and a crew of 6. The passenger list included military personnel, dependents. Department of Defense employees, and a Red Cross employee. All occupants of the aircraft were lost at sea and the aircraft was destroyed.

 

“The aircraft had been airborne approximately 2 hours and 35 minutes when radio contact was lost. No difficulties were reported by the crew prior to this time. The wreckage was sighted by a Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft at 0322 C.m.t., June 4, 1963, at 54 degrees 21’N – 134 degrees 39’W but no survivors were observed. Approximately 1,500 pounds of floating aircraft wreckage was recovered.

 

“Because of a lack of evidence the Board is unable to determine the probable cause of this accident.

 

“Investigation   A Northwest Airlines, Inc., Douglas DC-7C, N 290, crashed t sea at an estimated position of 54 degree 14’N – 134 degree 41’W at approximately 1816 1 June 3, 1963. The flight was operating as Northwest Airlines Flight 293, a Military Air Transport Service (MATS) charter….

 

“The crew reported over all compulsory reporting points at their flight planned times. At 1807 the crew reported that they had been over Domestic Annette 5 at 1806, 14,000 feet, estimating Domestic Sitka at 1837, and requested a clearance to climb to 18,000 feet. No reason for the requested change in altitude was given.  The Domestic Annette position report is the last known transmission from Flight 293….

 

“Since a number of the adult life vests were recovered still incased in their plastic containers, with the zippers closed, it is believed that either there was insufficient time to alert the passengers to prepare for a water landing, or they were unable to take appropriate action due to unusual aircraft attitudes.

 

“The fragmentation of the aircraft indicates that it struck the water at a high speed and the damage to the seat backs shows forces applied to the top of the seat indicating that the airplane fuselage struck the water nearly inverted. The concentration of the observed wreckage and the failure to find any floating wreckage outside that general area shows that the aircraft was probably intact at impact.

 

“There was no available evidence to substantiate a fire or explosion in flight; however, fire after impact burned portions of items floating on the water.” (CAB. AAR. Northwest Airlines… Douglas DC-7C…Annette Island, AK, June 3, 1963.)

 

Sources

 

Civil Aeronautics Board. Accident Investigation Report. Northwest Airlines, Inc., Douglas DC-7C, N 290, Annette Island, Alaska, June 3, 1963. Washington, DC: CAB, April 21, 1964, 10 pp.  Accessed at:  http://dotlibrary1.specialcollection.net/scripts/ws.dll?file&fn=8&name=*P%3A%5CDOT%5Cairplane%20accidents%5Cwebsearch%5C060363.pdf

 

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