DC-4 Crashes Near Fairbanks April 24, 2024

[muskeg13]

Breaking: Douglas DC-4 crashes near Fairbanks

A Douglas DC-4 airplane has crashed near Fairbanks, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. The report to the Alaska State Troopers came in at 10:03 am of the crash about seven miles south of the Fairbanks International Airport on the Tanana River. A preliminary investigation...

mustreadalaska.com

Two dead after plane crashes into bluffs above Tanana River

The crash happened in the Cripple Creek area. Emergency personnel ask that no one comes to the scene because of fuel on the ground and dangerous ice on the river.

www.newsminer.com

No survivors found after plane crashes in Fairbanks area, officials say

No survivors have been found after a plane crashed Tuesday morning on the Tanana River, according to authorities.

www.alaskasnewssource.com

Video in the second link shows the aircraft exploding and catching fire midair before entering into a steep banking dive.

 

[Engineman]

Sad to see. Aircraft looks to be flying level OK about 500', but then there is a strong explosion, looks to be on the left wing behind the No.2 engine. Aircraft immediately enters a strong left roll with nose dropping and impacts within about 6sec with 90+* bank and maybe 75* dive.
After explosion in the air, fire seems to be burning in the wing, difficult to say if there was visible fire before explosion in the air. Possible fuel tank fire/explosion, but smoke looks to be grey and not much of a trail.
RIP.

Eng

 

[Capt. Vick]

RIP

 

[Engineman]

A little more info from more reporting. It looks like the aircraft was airborne, departing Fairbanks, they were handed over as normal to radar and cleared to proceed on course, all seems normal. Then approx 1min after T/O they report they will have to return and commence a LH turn back to the field. Voices are stressed on the radio intercom breakthrough and obvious they have a major problem, though I don't hear a Mayday or problem called-out. Aircraft crashes about 2.15min after T/O and about 1min after problem seems to have started. So, the video of the last seconds means the wing explosion was preceded by nearly a minute of the major problem before the explosion seen on the video. Careful scrutiny of the video looks like the visible explosion/fire might have been closer to the No1 engine.

Eng

 

[DrumBob]

Sorry to hear that.

 

[JCH]

Engine 1 appears to be moved from its normal position on the wing when the plane is seen in a steep diving turn to the left. It looks like the engine mount suffered some sort of catastrophic failure at some point

 

[ThomasP]

Is it just me, or does anyone else maybe see a very faint smoke puff or two - or maybe rich exhaust plume - behind the airplane about 1/2 -2/3 of the way from the edge of the screen to the point of explosion. Might be a camera artifact, but to me it looks like puffs smoke of some sort.

 

[Engineman]

Hi, I have only tried to pass-on info and not speculate, but I do think there was some sort of failure/fire going on for some period before the dramatic explosion and rapid LOC.
However, the "explosion" does seem somewhat large and more than most engine failures. I guess that a better description of the failure will come with the investigation.
I think that a good initial report is the video post of Blancolirio on Youtube.
A very sad event.

Eng

 

[muskeg13]

Onboard fire reported prior to in-flight explosions. Tower-AC audio is in second link. I live near the Wasilla airport where this plane was home based and routinely heard and saw it flying, but no more. They haven't released the names of the pilot and crewmember, but they were probably locals.

Crew reported fire on plane heavily laden with fuel just before crash near Fairbanks

The plane was headed to Kobuk with nearly 4,500 gallons of fuel onboard when it crashed, an NTSB official said.

www.adn.com

Listen to control tower audio prior to DC-54 crash on Tanana River: 'Tell 'em I love 'em, man.'

The DC-54 aircraft that crashed on Tuesday seven miles from the Fairbanks International Airport was a Douglas 54-D Skymaster, owned and operated by Alaska Air Fuel, and operating as a bulk fuel cargo plane. The plane was en route to Kobuk with 3,200 gallons of heating fuel when a wing caught...

mustreadalaska.com

 

[Gnomey]

RIP

 

[Engineman]

Just looking at the detail of "4500" US Gallons of "fuel" (3200 heating oil, 1400 Avgas) looks to pretty much max-out the DC4 Max T/O weight 73,500lb.
Does anyone have the DC4 T/O Performance tables? Anyone comment on DC4 EFATO at max T/O? Thanks

Eng

 

[JCH]

Just looking at the detail of "4500" US Gallons of "fuel" (3200 heating oil, 1400 Avgas) looks to pretty much max-out the DC4 Max T/O weight 73,500lb.
Does anyone have the DC4 T/O Performance tables? Anyone comment on DC4 EFATO at max T/O? Thanks

Eng

Do you know if they were using bladders or tanks to hold the fuel?

 

[eagledad]

Eng

Attached are the tactical planning charts from June 1947. The sheets for the C-54G (DC-4) can be found on pages 36 and 37.

FWIW

Eagledad

.

 

[Engineman]

Do you know if they were using bladders or tanks to hold the fuel?

I have no specific info but, as per Blancolirio report and this youtube entry, "Uncovering the 22 myths of the Douglas DC-4 fuel aircraft still flying Alaska" they seem to have fixed tanks for the cargo fuel in the cabin.

Eng

 

[Engineman]

Eng

Attached are the tactical planning charts from June 1947. The sheets for the C-54G (DC-4) can be found on pages 36 and 37.

FWIW

Eagledad

.

Thanks Eagledad. The flight performance data here is thin but, I think it has some value.
Looking at the 73,000lb Climb data, it shows a +620ft/min climb performance upto 8,000' altitude. Very roughly, that corresponds to a straight mathematical 1350 horsepower of work and also equates roughly to the T/O or Military power of one engine. So, it would seem that the aircraft was possibly just able to maintain level flight with an engine out after T/O at 73,000lb. This is of course just my estimate, the accident aircraft seemed to suffer a terrible and uncontrollable failure.

Eng

 

[Lucky13]

 

[Steve Hnz]

 

[Alan Stevens]

Aerocide?

 

[muskeg13]

Small updates: NTSB preliminary report released today.

NTSB: Engine separated from cargo plane seconds before deadly crash near Fairbanks

The crash of the Douglas DC-4 on the Tanana River in late April killed two people hauling fuel to the Northwest Alaska community of Kobuk.

www.adn.com

NTSB: Burning engine, ‘fire on board,’ preceded fatal plane crash near Fairbanks

A burning engine and a reported fire on board a Douglas C-54 aircraft that crashed last month near Fairbanks preceded the crash that claimed two lives, according to investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board.

www.alaskasnewssource.com

 

[muskeg13]

Pilots identified.

Pilots killed in crash near Fairbanks identified as fuel service owner and former attorney