Flying Tiger Line flight 7815/13

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Flying Tiger Line flight 7815/13
Lockheed L-1049H N6918C FTL LGW 08/29/64.jpg

An identical machine of the company
Accident summary
Accident type unexplained
place Pacific Ocean , about 1,100 kilometers west of Guam
date March 16, 1962
Fatalities 107
Survivors 0
Aircraft
Aircraft type Lockheed L-1049H
operator Flying Tiger Line
Mark N6921C
Departure airport GuamGuam Agana Naval Air Station , Guam, U.S. outer territory
Destination airport PhilippinesPhilippines Clark Air Base , Luzon , Philippines
Passengers 96
crew 11
Lists of aviation accidents

On March 16, 1962, a Lockheed L-1049H Super Constellation with 107 people on board disappeared on Flying Tiger Line flight 7815/13 (also referred to as MATS flight 739/14 ) in the Pacific Ocean between Guam and the Philippines . Despite an extensive search, no debris or other traces of the aircraft or its occupants were found. The cause of the accident remained unclear.

Flight history

The Flying Tiger Line's Lockheed L-1049 ( license number : N6921C) carried out a military charter flight on behalf of the Military Air Transport Service (MATS) from Travis Air Force Base in California to Saigon in southern Vietnam . Scheduled stopovers were planned in Honolulu , Wake , Guam and Clark Air Base (Philippines). The Flying Tiger Line used the civilian flight number 7815/13 for this charter service, while the MATS referred to it as flight 739/14. The machine carried 93 electronics and communications specialists from the US armed forces and three soldiers from the South Vietnamese army. Officially, there were no weapons or other armaments on board. The crew consisted of three pilots, two flight engineers , two on- board navigators and four flight attendants . The cabin crew switched to wake during the stopover.

The aircraft from Wake arrived at Agana Naval Air Station in Guam on March 15 at 9:14 p.m. local time (11:14 GMT ) . The machine was refueled and took off at 22:57 local time (12:57 GMT) for its onward flight to Clark Air Base, which was around 80 kilometers northwest of the Philippine capital Manila . The flight time on this stage had been calculated at six hours and nineteen minutes. The fuel supplies they carried lasted for nine hours and thirty minutes.

The air traffic control instructed the machine initially a cruising altitude of 3,000 meters (10,000 feet too). At around 11:25 p.m. (13:25 GMT), the crew asked to be allowed to climb to almost 5,500 meters (18,000 feet). Appropriate approval has been given. Three minutes later, the pilots stated that they were 100 NM (185 kilometers) west of Guam and that they were continuing the climb as specified. The radar monitoring by the ground station ended at this position . The crew reported again at 00:22 local time (14:22 GMT). At that time, the aircraft was about 500 kilometers from Guam (position: 13 ° 40 'N 140 ° 00' E) at its cruising altitude of 18,000 feet. The next routine report from the pilots, which was expected around 01:30 h (15:30 GMT) at position 14 ° 00 'N 135 ° 00' E, did not materialize.

Accident investigation

Five crew members of S / S TL Lenzen , a Liberia- registered tanker owned by Standard Oil of California , observed an aircraft around 1:30 a.m. local time (15:30 GMT), approximately 1,060 kilometers west of Guam, whose contrails were clearly visible . When a cloud blocked the view of the machine, an explosion occurred that was described as blindingly bright. Another flash of light followed about two to three seconds later. Shortly afterwards, the sailors saw two burning objects fall from the sky. The two objects differed in size and brightness, as well as the speed at which they fell. The object, which fell more slowly and glowed brighter, was tracked by the ship's radar for about ten seconds. The master set a course for the point of impact which, according to the radar determination, was around 30 kilometers (17 NM) west of the tanker's position. At the same time, he tried to contact the US Navy stations in Guam and Manila, but initially unsuccessful. The crew carried out a five and a half hour search in the relevant sea area without finding anything. At 21:05 GMT, the US radio station Mackay in Manila received a message from the ship, which would then continue its voyage.

Although the US armed forces carried out an extensive search operation with eight ships and 48 aircraft, no traces of the machine or its occupants were discovered. It seemed likely that the tanker's crew had actually seen the airplane explode. The position of the ship corresponded almost to the expected position, which the Lockheed L-1049 should reach at 01:30 h (15:30 GMT). The cause of the explosion remained open.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c d Civil Aeronautics Board, The Flying Tiger Line Inc., Lockheed Super Constellation 1049H, N6921C, between Guam and the Philippine Islands, March 15, 1962

Coordinates: 13 ° 44 ′ 0 ″  N , 134 ° 49 ′ 0 ″  E