The Ditching of Pan Am Flight 6
Friday, January 03, 2025
2025.0103.0003...
Click on headline for the whole story...
The Ditching of Pan Am Flight 6
On October 16, 1956, Pan Am Flight 6 (a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser long-range airliner developed from the C-97 Stratofreighter military transport), departed on a around-the-world commercial passenger flight (N90943) from Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, at 8:26pm HST on the concluding leg to San Francisco. After passing the point of no return, the number one engine entered an overspeeding regime. The First Officer, who was flying the plane, immediately slowed the aircraft by further reducing power and extending the flaps, then an attempt was made to feather the number one propeller.
The propeller would not feather and the engine continued to turn at excessive RPM. The captain decided to cut off the oil supply to the engine. Eventually, the RPM declined and the engine seized. The propeller continued to windmill in the air stream causing excessive parasitic drag which significantly increased the fuel consumption. Climb power was then applied to the remaining three engines in an attempt to slow the rate of descent. The number four engine then began to fail and soon was able to produce only partial power at full throttle. At 0245 the number four engine began to backfire, forcing the crew to shut it down and feather the propeller.
The crew calculated the additional aerodynamic drag left them with insufficient fuel remaining to reach San Francisco or return to Honolulu. At that time the United States Coast Guard maintained a ship known as Ocean Station November between Hawaii and the California coast. Pan Am Flight 6 was flown to the USCGC Pontchartrain's location and circled the station until daylight. They finally were able to level off at 2,000 feet with just the power of the two remaining engines.
The Ditching of Pan Am Flight 6
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
As a former employee of an airline, and airplane buff, I found this fascinating. Thanks, Rick.
ReplyDeleteMe too!
ReplyDeleteAnd, this is the one that caused my grandfather to declare he would "always have one foot on the ground." My grandmother's dream was to see Hawaii - she never made it.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHad to check - only a few minor injuries. Hopefully this will be a metaphor for the next perilous four years, i.e., despite dangerous malfunctions, we'll emerge with only minor damage. Maybe that's way too optimistic.
ReplyDeleteManrico - That's a good way to look at the next four years.
DeleteThanks for the history lesson!
ReplyDeleteMr dad’s cousin Marion was an airline stewardess back in the day.
ReplyDeleteShe has said she and other stewardesses at first loved being assigned to a Boeing Stratocruiser as it was the cutting edge luxury liner of the skies.The aircraft was the first civilian airliner to be supercharged and utilize water injection for increased horse power.
However, Boeing Stratocruisers were notorious for engine failures caused by the engines overheating and damaging the pistons causing them to seize. Flying on three or even two engines was not unusual. The Pratt Whitney R-4360 wasp Major engines had their 28 pistons arranged in a spiral. This meant the pistons at the back of the engine would not get enough cooling air and that part of the engine would overheat. Another big problem were the propellers, two types were optional : Hamilton Standard Hydromatic and Curtis Electric.
The Hamilton Standard problem was its hollow blade design that caused the propellor to break apart in flight, and the Curtis Electric with its very complex electric control system that at times would not follow inputs from the flight crew. A problem of new technology that needed more developement, too much, too soon. As Marion told me she and other stewardesses who at first loved the Stratocruiser, later hated being assigned to a flight using that aircraft, the workhorse DC-6 was much preferred for its reliability.
-Rj
Rj - Thank you for the detailed information.
DeleteI read the article linked to and no passengers were lost---Super--Reminds me of Captain Sully who landed in the waters of New York----I am old enough, 67, to remember flying on planes with propellers and when not all airports had jet bridges---I have walked many a tarmac---I even remember walking out to the plane and boarding the aircraft in the belly of the plane instead of the usual door on the side---
ReplyDeleteVRCooper - I've walked a few tarmacs too.
DeleteWow. I've flown across the Pacific a few times, and that whole scenario is a tiny bit on the back of my mind.
DeleteAnon@8:59pm - Same here.
Delete