1951 Canadian Pacific Douglas DC-4 disappearance
Encyclopedia
The 1951 Canadian Pacific Douglas DC-4 disappearance occurred on the 21 July 1951 when a Douglas DC-4
four-engined piston airliner registered
CF-CPC of Canadian Pacific Air Lines disappeared on a scheduled flight for the United Nations
from Vancouver, Canada to Tokyo, Japan. Neither the aircraft nor the 31 passengers and six crew have been found.
, Canada
on a scheduled flight to Tokyo, it was due to stopover at Anchorage Airport
in Alaska. The flight was on schedule and reported at the Cape Spencer intersection in British Columbia 90 minutes out from Anchorage and gave an estimate for Yakutat in Alaska as 24:00. The weather in the area was heavy rain and icing conditions with a visibility of 500 feet. Nothing further was heard from the aircraft and at 00:44 an emergency warning was issued when the aircraft was overdue to report. The United States Air Force and Royal Canadian Air Force carried out an extensive search but failed to find any trace of the aircraft or the 37 occupants. The search was finally called off on the 31 October 1951.
four-engined piston airliner had been built in 1944 for the United States Air Force as a Douglas C-54A Skymaster but on delivery in June 1944 it was diverted to the United States Navy with the designation R5D-1. In 1946 it was converted to a civil Douglas DC-4 standard for Pan American Airlines as Clipper Winged Racer. It was sold to Canadian Pacific Airlines in 1950.
Douglas DC-4
The Douglas DC-4 is a four-engined propeller-driven airliner developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It served during World War II, in the Berlin Airlift and into the 1960s in a military role...
four-engined piston airliner registered
Aircraft registration
An aircraft registration is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies a civil aircraft, in similar fashion to a licence plate on an automobile...
CF-CPC of Canadian Pacific Air Lines disappeared on a scheduled flight for the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
from Vancouver, Canada to Tokyo, Japan. Neither the aircraft nor the 31 passengers and six crew have been found.
Accident
At 18:35 the DC-4 departed Vancouver International AirportVancouver International Airport
Vancouver International Airport is located on Sea Island in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, about from Downtown Vancouver. In 2010 it was the second busiest airport in Canada by aircraft movements and passengers , behind Toronto Pearson International Airport, with non-stop flights daily to...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
on a scheduled flight to Tokyo, it was due to stopover at Anchorage Airport
Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport
-Top destinations:-Scheduled cargo airlines:-Top destinations:-Scheduled cargo airlines:-Top destinations:-Scheduled cargo airlines:-Inter-terminal:...
in Alaska. The flight was on schedule and reported at the Cape Spencer intersection in British Columbia 90 minutes out from Anchorage and gave an estimate for Yakutat in Alaska as 24:00. The weather in the area was heavy rain and icing conditions with a visibility of 500 feet. Nothing further was heard from the aircraft and at 00:44 an emergency warning was issued when the aircraft was overdue to report. The United States Air Force and Royal Canadian Air Force carried out an extensive search but failed to find any trace of the aircraft or the 37 occupants. The search was finally called off on the 31 October 1951.
Aircraft
The aircraft, a Douglas DC-4Douglas DC-4
The Douglas DC-4 is a four-engined propeller-driven airliner developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It served during World War II, in the Berlin Airlift and into the 1960s in a military role...
four-engined piston airliner had been built in 1944 for the United States Air Force as a Douglas C-54A Skymaster but on delivery in June 1944 it was diverted to the United States Navy with the designation R5D-1. In 1946 it was converted to a civil Douglas DC-4 standard for Pan American Airlines as Clipper Winged Racer. It was sold to Canadian Pacific Airlines in 1950.