1962 Godthab Catalina crash
 A Consolidated PBY-5A similar to the accident aircraft | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 12 May 1962 |
| Summary | Sank on landing |
| Site | Godthab harbour |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Canadian-Vickers PBY-5A Canso |
| Operator | Eastern Provincial Airways on behalf of Greenlandair (now Air Greenland) |
| Registration | CF-IHA |
| Flight origin | Kangerlussuaq Airport, Greenland |
| Destination | Godthåb, Greenland |
| Passengers | 18 |
| Crew | 3 |
| Fatalities | 15 |
| Survivors | 6 |
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]
Accident
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
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
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
- ^ a b c d e Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 10 February 2018.
- ^ "Eastern Provincial Airways Accident". Flight International. 24 May 1962. p. 816.