1950 Douglas C-54D-1-DC disappearance
Encyclopedia
On 26 January 1950, a Douglas C-54 Skymaster, 42-72469,, of the Second Strategic Support Squadron, Strategic Air Command
. out of Biggs AFB, Texas, departed Elmendorf Air Force Base
, Alaska
, for Great Falls Air Force Base
, Montana
, with a crew of 8 and 36 passengers (34 service personnel and 2 civilians).
Two hours into a planned eight-and-a-half hour flight, at 17:09 it made its last contact by radio and it has been missing since. Despite a massive air and ground search at the time and repeated searches since 1950, as of 19 June 2011 no trace of the aircraft or its occupants had been found; neither had the cause of the aircraft's disappearance been determined.
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
. out of Biggs AFB, Texas, departed Elmendorf Air Force Base
Elmendorf Air Force Base
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson is a United States military facility adjacent to Anchorage, the largest city in Alaska. It is an amalgamation of the former United States Air Force Elmendorf Air Force Base and the United States Army Fort Richardson, which were merged in 2010.-Overview:The...
, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, for Great Falls Air Force Base
Malmstrom Air Force Base
Malmstrom Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place in Cascade County, Montana, United States. It was named in honor of World War II POW Colonel Einar Axel Malmstrom...
, Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, with a crew of 8 and 36 passengers (34 service personnel and 2 civilians).
Two hours into a planned eight-and-a-half hour flight, at 17:09 it made its last contact by radio and it has been missing since. Despite a massive air and ground search at the time and repeated searches since 1950, as of 19 June 2011 no trace of the aircraft or its occupants had been found; neither had the cause of the aircraft's disappearance been determined.