Accident | |
---|---|
Date | December 2, 1968 9:36 am AKST |
Summary | Structural failure |
Site | Pedro Bay, Alaska, U.S. 59°46′16″N 154°08′28″W / 59.771°N 154.141°W |
Aircraft | |
Aircraft type | Fairchild F-27B |
Operator | Wien Consolidated Airlines |
Registration | N4905 |
Flight origin | Anchorage, Alaska |
1st stopover | Iliamna, Alaska |
2nd stopover | Big Mountain, Alaska |
3rd stopover | King Salmon, Alaska |
Destination | Dillingham, Alaska |
Passengers | 36 |
Crew | 3 |
Fatalities | 39 |
Injuries | 0 |
Survivors | 0 |
Wien Consolidated Airlines Flight 55 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight in Alaska that crashed into Pedro Bay on December 2, 1968, killing all 39 on board.[1][2] The Fairchild F-27B aircraft was operated by Wien Consolidated Airlines and was en route to Dillingham from Anchorage, with three intermediate stops. The NTSB investigation revealed that the aircraft suffered a structural failure after encountering "severe-to-extreme" air turbulence.[3] The accident was the second-worst accident involving a Fairchild F-27 at the time, and currently the third-worst accident involving the aircraft.[1]