Wien Consolidated Airlines Flight 55

Wien Consolidated Airlines
Flight 55
A Fairchild F-27 similar to the accident aircraft
Accident
DateDecember 2, 1968
9:36 am AKST
SummaryStructural failure
SitePedro Bay, Alaska, U.S.
59°46′16″N 154°08′28″W / 59.771°N 154.141°W / 59.771; -154.141
Aircraft
Aircraft typeFairchild F-27B
OperatorWien Consolidated Airlines
RegistrationN4905
Flight originAnchorage, Alaska
1st stopoverIliamna, Alaska
2nd stopoverBig Mountain, Alaska
3rd stopoverKing Salmon, Alaska
DestinationDillingham, Alaska
Passengers36
Crew3
Fatalities39
Injuries0
Survivors0
San Pedro Bay  is located in Alaska
San Pedro Bay 
San Pedro Bay 

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]

  1. ^ a b Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on September 2, 2009.
  2. ^ "39 die in Alaskan crash". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. 3 December 1968. p. 1.
  3. ^ "Aircraft Accident Report: Wien Consolidated Airlines, Inc.; Fairchild F-27B, N4905; Pedro Bay, Alaska; December 2, 1968" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. 22 July 1970. NTSB-AAR-70-16. Retrieved 2 September 2009. - Copy at Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University