Douglas C-53 Skytrooper (DC-3) – 42-15569

Incident Overview

Date: Thursday 5 November 1942

Aircraft Type: Douglas C-53 Skytrooper (DC-3)

Owner/operator: United States Army Air Force – USAAF

Registration Number: 42-15569

Location: east coast of Greenland – ÿ Greenland

Phase of Flight: En route

Status: Unknown

Casualties: Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5

Component Affected: C-53 Skytrooper’s batteries and communication systems.C-53 Skytrooper’s batteries and communication systems.

Category: Accident

On November 5, 1942, a Douglas C-53 Skytrooper (DC-3) carrying six crew members, including Captain Homer C. McDowell, 2nd Lt. William L. Springer, S/Sgt. E. L. Monahan, Pvt. William W. Everett, and Pvt. Thurman Johannessen, crashed on the Greenland Ice Cap. The aircraft was struck by flares issued to clear the area. The C-53 batteries failed, resulting in no further communication from the crew. A B-17 Pacific Northwest (PN9E) search ensued, but it also crashed on November 9, 1942. All aboard survived the crash, but perished within 30 days due to lack of supplies. A radio was built by Cpl. Loren Howarth 13 days after the crash, transmitting an SOS signal. Col. Bernt Balchen spotted the wreckage, and the US Cutter Northland dispatched a Grumman Duck J2F-4 to rescue the survivors. A second rescue attempt was undertaken, resulting in the deaths of all three crew members. The pilot of the B-17 PN9E and 1 crew member were rescued by Col. Bernt Balchen six months later, after 5 months stranded on the ice cap.On November 5, 1942, a Douglas C-53 Skytrooper (DC-3) carrying six crew members, including Captain Homer C. McDowell, 2nd Lt. William L. Springer, S/Sgt. E. L. Monahan, Pvt. William W. Everett, and Pvt. Thurman Johannessen, crashed on the Greenland Ice Cap. The aircraft was struck by flares issued to clear the area. The C-53 batteries failed, resulting in no further communication from the crew. A B-17 Pacific Northwest (PN9E) search ensued, but it also crashed on November 9, 1942. All aboard survived the crash, but perished within 30 days due to lack of supplies. A radio was built by Cpl. Loren Howarth 13 days after the crash, transmitting an SOS signal. Col. Bernt Balchen spotted the wreckage, and the US Cutter Northland dispatched a Grumman Duck J2F-4 to rescue the survivors. A second rescue attempt was undertaken, resulting in the deaths of all three crew members. The pilot of the B-17 PN9E and 1 crew member were rescued by Col. Bernt Balchen six months later, after 5 months stranded on the ice cap.

Description

Douglas C-53 Skytrooper (DC-3) 42-15569 went down on the Greenland Ice Cap 5 Nov 1942 at approx 1300 hrs. 5 Crew members aboard, Pilot Capt. Homer C. McDowell, 2nd Lt. William L. Springer, S/Sgt. E. L. Monahan, Pvt. William W. Everett, Pvt. Thurman Johannessen. Stationed at PIAAF, Presque, Maine, USA Damage: Unknown Cleared from: Reykjavik 0834 GMT To: BW-1 Reykjavik intercepted a signal from the C-53 saying they were down. Instructions were given to pop flares at designated times. Visuals of flares detected. C-53 batteries die, no more communication from crew. B-17 PN9E is searching for downed C-53, but goes down 9 Nov 1942. All aboard initially survive crash. 30 Nov 1942, crew of C-53 are listed as perished, as they had no provisions to sustain life. B-17 PN9E Radioman Cpl. Loren Howarth builds a radio 13 days after the crash, an SOS signal is intercepted. Col. Bernt Balchen spots the crashed B-17. Weather conditions prevent rescue attempts, no landing possible, covered with crevasses. US Cutter Northland sends out a Grumman Duck J2F-4 with Pilot Lt. John Pritchard and PFC Radioman Benjamin Bottoms to rescue 2 from B-17. They are successful and return the men to the US Cutter Northland. A second attempt at rescue is undertaken. Pritchard and Bottoms rescue Cpl. Loren Howarth. 9 minutes into the return to US Cutter Northland, they crash. All 3 aboard perished. The pilot of the B-17 PN9E and 1 crew member is rescued 6th April 1943 by Col. Bernt Balchen after 5 months stranded on the Ice Cap.

Primary Cause

Electrical failure of the C-53 Skytrooper’s batteries, leading to loss of communication and subsequent crash.Electrical failure of the C-53 Skytrooper’s batteries, leading to loss of communication and subsequent crash.

Share on: