Page:CAB Aircraft Accident Report, Northwest Flight 293.pdf/1

 File No. 1-00009

ADOPTED April 14, 1964

A Northwest Airlines, Inc., Douglas DC-7C, N 290 MATS charter Flight 293, crashed in the north Pacific Ocean approximately 16 nautical miles west-southwest of Annette Island, Alaska, at approximately 1816 G.m.t., June 3, 1963.

The flight departed McChord AFB, Washington, for Almendorf AFB, Alaska, carrying 95 passengers and a crew of 6. The passenger list included military personnel, dependents, Department of Defense employees, and a Red Cross employee. All occupants of the aircraft were lost at sea and the aircraft was destroyed.

The aircraft had been airborne approximately 2 hours and 35 minutes when radio contact was lost. No difficulties were reported by the crew prior to this time. The wreckage was sighted by a Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft at 032 G.m.t., June 4, 1963 at 54°21'N - 134°39'W but no survivors were observed. Approximately 1,500 pounds of floating aircraft wreckage was recovered.

Because of a lack of evidence the Board is unable to determine the probable cause of this accident. cause of the accident.

A Northwest Airlines, Inc., Douglas DC-7C, N 290, crashed at sea at an estimated position of 54°14'N - 134°41'W at approximately 1816 June 3, 1963. The flight was operating as Northwest Airlines Flight 293, a Military Air Transport Service (MATS) charter flight from McChord Air Force Base (AFB) Washington, to Elmendorf AFB Alaska, transporting military personnel, dependents, Department of Defense civilian employees, and a Red Cross employee.

N 290 was ferried from Minneapolis, Minnesota, to McChord AFB, Washington, by a Northwest Airlines crew on June 3, 1963. The aircraft arrived at McCHord AFB at approximately 1300. The captain stated that all systems were operating normally and no discrepancies were entered in the aircraft logbook. There were no carry-over maintenance items entered in the log on its arrival at McChord. The aircraft had just completed a scheduled maintenance inspection (No. 2 check) on June 2, 1963. This inspection is accomplished at 200-hour intervals.

The Northwest Airlines dispatcher at Seattle-Tacoma (SEA-TAC) Airport stated that he studied the U.S. Weather Bureau prognostic charts, as well as teletyped