On January 26th, 1950, a U.S. Air Force troop plane took off from Anchorage, Alaska, en route to Great Falls, Montana, carrying 44 passengers, including the crew. Two hours after taking off, the plane met its first check-in and was never heard from or seen again, vanishing into thin air. Now, it is one of air travel’s greatest mysteries.
The Flight and its Passengers
The Douglas C-54 Skymaster had 37 passengers and seven crew members on board. The weather report indicated freezing temperatures, and the plane would be flying into the setting sun, so visibility was likely low, but this was nothing the pilots couldn’t deal with and certainly not uncommon for that time of year.
The Last Transmission
Two hours into the eight-hour flight, the plane checked in over Snag, Yukon. The pilot reported no issues, just some ice forming on the wings and some turbulence, and that the flight was on schedule. Needing to check in every 30 minutes, the plane did not meet its next scheduled check-in when it should have been over Aishihik, Yukon. The first check-in was the last time the plane and its passengers were heard from, and the plane completely disappeared.
The Initial Search Efforts
Said to be one of the largest search and rescue efforts launched on the continent, the search meant combing 350,000 square miles of the snow-covered Yukon in freezing temperatures. Several search planes, mainly DC-3s and B-17 bombers, crashed due to bad weather, and this was only the start of the search. The initial search included 85 American and Canadian planes and 7,000 search personnel.
Problems During the Search
The search operation was difficult because pilots weren’t properly trained in search-and-rescue tactics. Additionally, many false positive reports of smoke signals and unclear radio transmissions were reported in the search area. As a result of under-trained pilots and bad weather, more planes were crashing in an attempt to locate the missing plane. As the U.S. Airforce lost a fifth plane in three weeks, the search was called off.
The End of the Search
The search-and-rescue operation was suspended on 14 February, as search planes were needed in the Gulf of Alaska to look for a missing aircraft carrying a Mark 4 Nuclear bomb (it didn’t have a radioactive core, though). The search was ultimately and formally called off on 20 February 1950, and death notifications were sent to the families of all 44 passengers.
Possible Mechanical Failure?
The Skymaster plane needed regular maintenance to avoid mechanical problems if operated in more demanding conditions, and the C-54 model was not pressurized and needed to fly at lower altitudes when passengers were on board. Flying over oceans and deserts was easily done, but mountain ranges could be problematic. Reports indicate that the pilots tried to depart earlier but couldn’t because of trouble with one of the plane’s four engines, delaying the flight by several hours. However, it eventually took off safely.
The Enduring Mystery of the Wreckage
Experts believe the plane likely didn’t stray too far from its course and could be lying in the landscape, waiting to be found. Amateur investigators theorize that the plane crashed, landed on a frozen lake, and sank. Andrew Gregg, the director of a 2022 documentary about the plane’s mysterious disappearance, believes the plane may have flown off course, crashing into the Saint Elias Mountain range, where it lies buried in ice and snow.
Modern Search Technology and Renewed Efforts
Thus far, the frozen lake crash landing proved incorrect when Gregg’s team flew over the largest lake on the plane’s flight path with a sonar scanner, which revealed nothing. Some searchers have even used drones to go over the flight path, looking in areas too dangerous to fly for evidence of the plane. Private groups and organizations, such as the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association and the Skymaster 2469 CAN/AM Society, support those who continue to search for the plane.
A Legacy of Loss and Unanswered Questions
44 people lost their lives when a U.S. Air Force plane disappeared from Canadian skies, never to be seen, heard from, or found again. In the last 75 years, the passengers’ family members have never received closure, and the U.S. government spent less than a month officially searching for its missing aircraft. Wives lost their husbands, children never got to meet their fathers, parents lost their children, and the unanswered questions continue to linger all these years later.
Sources
This Plane Carrying 44 People Disappeared In Canada, And No Sign Of The Aircraft Or Passengers Has Ever Been Found
Can a new film help solve Canada’s 70-year mystery of vanished US plane?
