29:
273:
380:
216:
The aircraft was found by a
British Lancaster bomber of 7th Squadron (âPathfindersâ) piloted by Flt Lt Geoffrey Douglas Head. The initial sighting was made by his rear gunner. They were searching further north than the initial search area. The Americans initially claimed they found the aircraft first
618:
A heatwave in
Switzerland has uncovered the wreckage debris of an American World War II plane that crash-landed in the Bernese Alps 72 years ago. The C-53 Skytrooper Dakota was traveling from Austria to Italy when it collided with the Gauli Glacier at an altitude of 10,990 feet on 19 November
212:
in poor visibility. On board were eight passengers, among them two high-ranking officers of the U.S. armed forces, four women, and one 11-year-old girl. The crew consisted of four men. Several people were injured, but there were no fatalities.
448:
A more lasting impact of the incident was that the rescue of aircraft passengers in alpine terrain became seriously considered by authorities. The crash on the Gauli glacier is seen as the birth of Swiss air rescue, and in 1952, the
1184:
732:
700:
1179:
915:
422:'s Gauli hut at 7,234 ft (2,205 m), failing to make radio contact with the coordinators in the valley. At 10.20 AM, SwAF pilots Captain Victor Hug and Major Pista Hitz, managed to land two
418:, but as it was too late for a descent on the same day, it was decided to wait at the wreck over night, enduring temperatures of â15 °C (5 °F). The next day, everyone descended towards the
725:
456:
In 2012 & in 2018 remains of the machine that crashed in 1946 emerged on the Gauli
Glacier, and subsequently the Swiss Army has been working to recover the wreck and clean up the site.
619:
1946...In 2012, three young people discovered the plane's propeller on the glacier. As the glacier continued to melt, the scene reportedly now looks like a field covered in plane debris.
1174:
718:
908:
426:
aircraft on the glacier beside the rescuers, and with eight flights, everyone was flown to safety. The Swiss army had tested snow landings and starts during the winter of 1944/45.
999:
601:
1039:
1169:
1150:
1144:
901:
303:, resulting in a sudden loss of altitude. The plane crashed into deep snow, which resulted in only one serious injury and rapidly depleted the speed of the aircraft.
407:
tracked vehicles) but these were potentially useless in the alpine conditions (despite their intended design for wintertime use). The potentially cumbersome use of
438:
was uncertain. But after the successful rescue, the political climate improved, in part because the rescue work was prominently covered by the international media.
631:
383:
A Swiss military-marked Fi 156 with Swiss-designed skis, much like those used for the Gauli
Glacier rescue, which interoperated with the existing mainwheels.
979:
813:
1062:
949:
435:
1092:
1072:
848:
441:
The rescue operation would have repercussions a decade later when the Swiss were asked to support the rescue and salvage efforts after the
288:
363:
sighted the aircraft by chance from an altitude of 16,000 ft (5 km) whilst en route to Munich, later confirmed by the crew of a
342:, 12.7 km (8 mi) away, received their radio calls, giving a new radio bearing, narrowing the search area to the Gauli Glacier.
1029:
989:
754:
442:
1132:
414:
On 23 November at 2:20 PM, two Swiss soldiers on skis reached the stricken aircraft and its passengers after a 13-hour ascent from
523:
352:, piloted by F/L G. Head, spotted the aircraft through a break in the cloud cover. The crew managed to plot the location by using
925:
880:
392:
299:
with a speed of 174 mph (280 km/h) at an altitude of 10,990 ft (3,350 m) because of the sudden onset of a
969:
56:
1122:
1052:
872:
695:
1189:
639:
196:) on 19 November 1946 was a turning point in alpine rescue and an international media event. The aircraft, coming from
690:
320:
262:
164:
559:"150 88th Div. Men Enter Switz. As Rescue Party â All Passengers Survive Plane Crash â Swiss Troops Effect Rescue"
558:
360:
1102:
797:
91:
959:
821:
233:
military transport aircraft, (serial no. 42-68846) â a military, passenger-only, variant of the civilian
99:
1009:
864:
315:. An hour after the crash, the crew was able to send emergency radio messages which were received at
856:
840:
805:
789:
332:
893:
710:
662:
388:
339:
238:
197:
588:
403:(some accounts describe the "snowcats" as being the amphibious-hulled versions of the American
295:, the crew became disoriented, and on 18 November at 2.45 PM, the aircraft crash-landed on the
770:
450:
419:
353:
328:
28:
272:
1112:
528:(YouTube) (in German). Neue ZĂŒrcher Zeitung. Event occurs at 6:03 to 6:06. Archived from
423:
408:
364:
346:
249:. The route planning was affected by bad weather, so they chose a route (950 km) via
242:
218:
411:
was contemplated but was not considered further, so rescue teams had to proceed on foot.
395:, where the normal gauge railway track ends. The U.S. response units were equipped with
1019:
704:
349:
300:
387:
After the accident location was known, a large alpine rescue operation was begun. The
356:. Later that day when the clouds cleared, search aircraft were sent to this location.
1163:
415:
296:
281:
230:
209:
81:
66:
602:"Melting glacier uncovers U.S. WWII plane that crash-landed in Switzerland in 1946"
529:
316:
234:
189:
312:
277:
246:
205:
193:
472:
404:
254:
142:
497:
396:
292:
663:"Een koud kunstje: Zwitsers leger ruimt wrak dat 72 jaar onder het ijs lag"
379:
368:
566:
400:
120:
589:
section 'Schneelandungen der
Schweizer Flugwaffe im Hochgebirge' (pdf)
324:
250:
201:
131:
116:
1185:
Accidents and incidents involving United States Air Force aircraft
378:
323:
near
Marseille, tri-angulating their position in the area between
271:
258:
153:
112:
266:
175:
897:
714:
1180:
Accidents and incidents involving the
Douglas C-47 Skytrain
691:
A summary on the accident and rescue, with some pictures.
335:. A large search and rescue operation began immediately.
33:
A Douglas C-47C Skytrain similar to the accident aircraft
473:"Gauli Glacier | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives"
696:
An image of the crashed C-47 can be found on this page
436:
832:
781:
746:
391:(US Army) arrived on a train carrying equipment in
171:
160:
149:
138:
127:
108:
98:
87:
77:
72:
62:
51:
43:
38:
311:The crew thought the aircraft had crashed in the
1175:Aviation accidents and incidents in Switzerland
741:Aviation accidents and incidents in Switzerland
287:Having already avoided several alpine peaks in
217:but later made a press statement to credit the
545:1946 C-47 Skytrain crash on the Gauli Glacier.
909:
726:
636:website account of the discovery (in French)"
8:
21:
916:
902:
894:
733:
719:
711:
565:. Military History Network. Archived from
20:
814:Invicta International Airlines Flight 435
1170:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1946
950:Pennsylvania Central Airlines Flight 105
701:Glacier releases wreckage of the Dakota
498:"B17 Museum Utzenstorf :: Schweiz"
464:
980:Australian National Airways DC-3 crash
608:. CBS/Associated Press. 17 August 2018
338:Two days later, the control tower at
7:
289:instrument meteorological conditions
1030:British European Airways Flight 530
763:Gauli Glacier C-53 Skytrooper crash
443:1956 Grand Canyon mid-air collision
434:After World War II, the diplomatic
22:Gauli Glacier C-53 Skytrooper crash
14:
1093:Railway Air Services Dakota crash
1073:Amsterdam KLM Douglas C-47 crash
926:Aviation accidents and incidents
345:At 0931 hours on 22 November an
27:
849:Lake Constance Cessna 425 crash
221:for their successful sighting.
186:C-53 Crash on the Gauli Glacier
990:Rabat Vickers Wellington crash
970:American Airlines Flight 6-103
755:San Giacomo Douglas DC-2 crash
340:Swiss Air Force Base Meiringen
57:Controlled Flight Into Terrain
1:
1123:American Airlines Flight 2207
873:Ethiopian Airlines Flight 702
1133:PBM Mariner Antarctica crash
1206:
881:Ju-Air Junkers Ju 52 crash
1142:
941:
361:Boeing B-29 Superfortress
237:airliner â took off from
26:
1103:Black Christmas disaster
1083:C-53 Gauli Glacier crash
1063:Vnukovo aircraft crashes
1053:Apeldoorn aircraft crash
522:TheGluetothetube (ed.).
276:The Gauli Glacier, with
229:On 18 November 1946 the
82:Douglas C-53D Skytrooper
798:El Al Flight 432 attack
321:Istres-Le Tubé Air Base
92:United States Air Force
1000:USAF C-47 Yan'an crash
822:Air Afrique Flight 056
451:Swiss Air Rescue Guard
384:
284:
16:1946 aviation accident
382:
275:
1042:Flagship New England
1010:Mount Tom B-17 crash
865:Crossair Flight 3597
453:(Rega) was founded.
208:, collided with the
1190:1946 in Switzerland
1151:► 1947
1145:1945 ◄
857:Crossair Flight 498
841:Alitalia Flight 404
806:Swissair Flight 330
790:Swissair Flight 306
23:
1148:
707:19 September 2015.
389:United States Army
385:
285:
78:Aircraft type
1157:
1156:
1040:AOA Douglas DC-4
960:Kolpny Li-2 crash
891:
890:
642:on 15 August 2018
587:Roger Cornioley:
535:on 8 January 2013
477:www.baaa-acro.com
182:
181:
1197:
1149:
936:
935:
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918:
911:
904:
895:
884:
876:
868:
860:
852:
844:
825:
817:
809:
801:
793:
792:(September 1963)
774:
766:
758:
735:
728:
721:
712:
679:
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676:
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658:
652:
651:
649:
647:
638:. Archived from
628:
622:
621:
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613:
598:
592:
585:
579:
578:
576:
574:
554:
548:
547:
542:
540:
534:
519:
513:
512:
510:
508:
502:www.b17museum.ch
494:
488:
487:
485:
483:
469:
409:military gliders
269:two days later.
263:Marseille-Istres
165:Marseille-Istres
55:Weather related
47:18 November 1946
31:
24:
1205:
1204:
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1199:
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1138:
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1135:
1130:
1126:
1125:
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1116:
1115:
1113:TWA Flight 6963
1110:
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1105:
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1095:
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1085:
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987:
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977:
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962:
957:
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952:
947:
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931:
929:
924:
922:
892:
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879:
875:(February 2014)
871:
867:(November 2001)
863:
855:
847:
843:(November 1990)
839:
828:
820:
812:
808:(February 1970)
804:
800:(February 1969)
796:
788:
777:
773:(November 1956)
769:
765:(November 1946)
761:
753:
742:
739:
687:
682:
672:
670:
660:
659:
655:
645:
643:
630:
629:
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611:
609:
600:
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586:
582:
572:
570:
569:on 15 June 2015
556:
555:
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538:
536:
532:
521:
520:
516:
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496:
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491:
481:
479:
471:
470:
466:
462:
432:
424:Fieseler Storch
377:
365:Swiss Air Force
309:
265:, to arrive in
243:Vienna, Austria
231:C-53 Skytrooper
227:
219:Royal Air Force
34:
17:
12:
11:
5:
1203:
1201:
1193:
1192:
1187:
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1177:
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1162:
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1061:
1058:
1057:
1051:
1048:
1047:
1038:
1035:
1034:
1028:
1025:
1024:
1020:TWA Flight 513
1018:
1015:
1014:
1008:
1005:
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998:
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988:
985:
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978:
975:
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923:
921:
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906:
898:
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888:
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877:
869:
861:
859:(January 2000)
853:
851:(January 1994)
845:
836:
834:
830:
829:
827:
826:
818:
810:
802:
794:
785:
783:
779:
778:
776:
775:
771:ÄSA Flight 548
767:
759:
750:
748:
744:
743:
740:
738:
737:
730:
723:
715:
709:
708:
705:Tages-Anzeiger
698:
693:
686:
685:External links
683:
681:
680:
667:Het Nieuwsblad
653:
623:
593:
580:
557:Crandell, Hy.
549:
514:
489:
463:
461:
458:
431:
428:
376:
373:
308:
305:
301:Katabatic wind
239:Tulln Air Base
226:
223:
198:Tulln, Austria
180:
179:
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2:
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981:
971:
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927:
919:
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912:
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905:
900:
899:
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883:(August 2018)
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531:
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468:
465:
459:
457:
454:
452:
446:
444:
439:
437:
429:
427:
425:
421:
417:
416:Innertkirchen
412:
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406:
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398:
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366:
362:
357:
355:
351:
348:
343:
341:
336:
334:
330:
326:
322:
318:
314:
306:
304:
302:
298:
297:Gauli Glacier
294:
290:
283:
282:Lauteraarhorn
279:
274:
270:
268:
264:
260:
256:
252:
248:
244:
240:
236:
232:
224:
222:
220:
214:
211:
210:Gauli Glacier
207:
204:), bound for
203:
199:
195:
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187:
177:
174:
170:
166:
163:
161:Last stopover
159:
155:
152:
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144:
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137:
133:
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126:
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118:
114:
111:
109:Flight origin
107:
103:
101:
97:
93:
90:
86:
83:
80:
76:
71:
68:
67:Gauli Glacier
65:
61:
58:
54:
50:
46:
42:
37:
30:
25:
19:
1082:
1041:
816:(April 1973)
762:
673:17 September
671:. Retrieved
669:(in Flemish)
666:
656:
644:. Retrieved
640:the original
633:
626:
617:
610:. Retrieved
605:
596:
583:
571:. Retrieved
567:the original
562:
552:
544:
537:. Retrieved
530:the original
524:
517:
505:. Retrieved
501:
492:
480:. Retrieved
476:
467:
455:
447:
440:
433:
413:
386:
358:
344:
337:
317:Orly Airport
310:
286:
245:, bound for
235:Douglas DC-3
228:
215:
190:Bernese Alps
185:
183:
150:2nd stopover
139:1st stopover
100:Registration
18:
833:1990s-2010s
824:(July 1987)
782:1960s-1980s
757:(July 1935)
747:1930s-1950s
606:cbsnews.com
563:milhist.net
420:Alpine Club
354:radio plots
319:and at the
313:French Alps
278:Schreckhorn
247:Pisa, Italy
206:Pisa, Italy
194:Switzerland
172:Destination
1164:Categories
591:(p. 27+28)
460:References
405:M29 Weasel
399:jeeps and
393:Interlaken
255:Strasbourg
143:Strasbourg
646:15 August
612:18 August
533:(YouTube)
507:10 August
482:10 August
430:Aftermath
397:Willys MB
350:Lancaster
293:Innsbruck
134:(Germany)
634:Le Matin
525:simvid 1
401:snowcats
369:EKW C-36
333:Jungfrau
331:and the
167:(France)
156:(France)
145:(France)
128:Stopover
104:42-68846
88:Operator
73:Aircraft
39:Accident
930: (
928:in 1946
573:6 March
539:5 April
367:(SwAF)
291:, near
188:in the
178:(Italy)
121:Austria
52:Summary
1129:Dec 30
1119:Dec 28
1109:Dec 28
1099:Dec 25
1089:Dec 19
1079:Nov 19
1069:Nov 14
1016:Jul 11
976:Mar 10
956:Jan 14
375:Rescue
325:Airolo
307:Search
280:&
251:Munich
225:Flight
202:Vienna
200:(near
132:Munich
117:Vienna
115:(near
94:(USAF)
1059:Nov 5
1049:Oct 7
1036:Oct 3
1026:Aug 7
1006:Jul 9
996:Apr 8
986:Apr 5
966:Mar 3
946:Jan 6
661:mtm.
259:Dijon
241:near
154:Dijon
113:Tulln
932:1946
675:2018
648:2018
614:2018
575:2014
541:2014
509:2022
484:2022
329:Sion
267:Pisa
261:and
184:The
176:Pisa
63:Site
44:Date
347:RAF
192:, (
1166::
703:,
665:.
616:.
604:.
561:.
543:.
500:.
475:.
445:.
371:.
359:A
327:,
257:,
253:,
934:)
917:e
910:t
903:v
734:e
727:t
720:v
677:.
650:.
632:"
577:.
511:.
486:.
123:)
119:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
