1962 Godthab Catalina crash

On 12 May 1962, an Eastern Provincial Airways Canso amphibian flying boat operating for Greenlandair (now Air Greenland) sank at Godthåb (now Nuuk) in Greenland, causing the death of 15 passengers.[1]

1962 Goodthab Catalina crash
A Consolidated PBY-5A similar to the accident aircraft
Accident
Date12 May 1962
SummarySank on landing
SiteGodthab harbour
Aircraft
Aircraft typeCanadian-Vickers PBY-5A Canso
OperatorEastern Provincial Airways on behalf of Greenlandair (now Air Greenland)
RegistrationCF-IHA
Flight originKangerlussuaq Airport, Greenland
DestinationGodthåb, Greenland
Passengers18
Crew3
Fatalities15
Survivors6

Accident

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The Catalina was operating a scheduled flight from Kangerlussuaq Airport to Godthåb for Greenlandair with 21 on board, while landing on the water at Goodthab harbour it sank with 15 passengers being killed.[1] Initial reports were that the aircraft had hit debris on the water.[2]

Aircraft

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The aircraft CF-IHA was a Canadian-built variant of the Consolidated Catalina built by Canadian-Vickers in 1944.[1] It was built for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) with serial number 11058 until it was sold in 1947.

Investigation

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A technical investigation concluded that the nose wheel doors had not closed properly probably due to mechanical failure.[1] With a gap of 70mm, the doors were torn off on landing letting water into the nose wheel bay, the pressure of water caused a bulkhead to fail and the aircraft to sink.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 10 February 2018.
  2. ^ "Eastern Provincial Airways Accident". Flight International. 24 May 1962. p. 816.