ASN Aircraft accident Fairchild C-119C Flying Boxcar 50-0145 Whitehorse, YT
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Status:
Date:Thursday 23 November 1961
Type:Silhouette image of generic C119 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Fairchild C-119C Flying Boxcar
Operator:United States Air Force - USAF
Registration: 50-0145
MSN: 10463
First flight:
Crew:Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 10
Passengers:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0
Total:Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 10
Aircraft damage: Damaged beyond repair
Location:76 km (47.5 mls) S of Whitehorse, YT (   Canada)
Phase: Initial climb (ICL)
Nature:Military
Departure airport:Whitehorse Airport, YT (YXY/CYXY), Canada
Destination airport:Tacoma-McChord AFB, WA (TCM/KTCM), United States of America
Narrative:
The Boxcar was the second of two 446th Troop Carrier Wing aircraft that were returning to Ellington AFB, TX after an Alaska joint exercise, King Crab II. Their route was to take them from Elmendorf, AK, through Whitehorse, YT (Canada) and McChord AFB, WA. Shortly after takeoff from Whitehorse the Boxcar ran into trouble due to a seized brake drum that caught fire. The aircraft crashed 47mi (76km) south of Whitehorse, killing five men, but five other men bailed out of the plane shortly before it crashed. Three of the men who parachuted were rescued the next day, but the other two men could not be located. Several ground parties and aircraft searched an area of 64 square miles (103 square kilometers). The area was heavily forested with many lakes, rivers and swamps and the weather was reported to be clear with temperatures ranging from as low as -4°F (-20°C). The plight of the two men was not good and they had died before rescue.
The wreckage is still located near Annie Lake Road YT at 60°22'18.7"N 134°57'08.2"W.

Sources:
» Santa Cruz Sentinel 24 November 1961, p1
» explorenorth.com


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Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Whitehorse Airport, YT to Tacoma-McChord AFB, WA as the crow flies is 1700 km (1062 miles).
Accident location: Exact; as reported in the official accident report.

This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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