The Plane that Vanished—U.S. Air Force C-54 42-72469

On 1950-01-26 a routine flight of a U.S. Air Force Douglas C-54 Skymaster (the military version of the four engine DC-4 airliner) from Anchorage, Alaska to Great Falls, Montana disappeared while flying between two check-in points in Canada’s Yukon territory. The plane had a crew of eight and 36 passengers on board. No radio transmissions from the plane were reported by airways communication stations in the region. In its last transmission to the station at Snag, Yukon, the crew reported “heavy icing”, but the C-54 was equipped with de-icing gear and certified to fly into known icing conditions.

After the plane was declared missing, a search and rescue effort was mounted, involving 7000 personnel and 85 planes from the U.S. Air Force and Royal Canadian Air Force. Despite reports of radio signals, smoke signals, and observation of low-flying planes by observers in the region, nothing was found. Three C-47 aircraft, two U.S. and one Canadian, crashed during the search effort, miraculously with no fatalities.

Having found no sign whatsoever of the C-54, on 1950-02-20 the search was officially abandoned and next of kin notified all on board were presumed dead. To this day, no trace of the plane has been found.

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Guess that’s what wilderness really means. Thanks!

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