Incident Overview
Description
On August 16, 1942 took off from NAS Kodiak piloted by LCDR Jerome H. Sparboe on a flight bound for Whitehorse Airfield then onward to NAS Seattle. This plane was the lead transport in a formation of three. Aboard were fourteen crew and passengers from the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps. During the first leg of the flight the weather was terrible with storm like conditions and the three transports became separated and cut radio communications with ice forming on the wings of each plane. This plane was last seen during a break in the weather over the southern tip of the Yakutat mountains of Alaska. When this plane failed to arrive it was officially listed as Missing In Action (MIA). The other two transports landed at Whitehorse Airfield, Yukon, and Watson Lake safely.
Primary Cause
Severe weather conditions, specifically storm-like conditions, caused by the formation’s separation and loss of radio communication.Severe weather conditions, specifically storm-like conditions, caused by the formation’s separation and loss of radio communication.Share on:
