27:
264:, told journalists the C-124 "obviously was flying at full speed" and appeared to have slid down the cliffs of Mount Gannett and exploded. Wreckage was spread across several acres of the glacier. Moore surmised that the pilot had narrowly missed other Chugach Range peaks during his approach. "From this I conclude he was on instrument, flying blind, and probably crashed without any warning whatsoever to him directly into the southerly face of Mt. Gannett."
305:, whose primary role is to search for US military personnel missing overseas. On June 18, 2014, after two seasons of operations on the glacier, the Department of Defense announced that the remains of 17 of the victims had been identified and would be returned to their families for burial. By 2019, the Department of Defense had increased the number of sets of remains identified to 40.
268:
aircraft, drifted snow was piled up to hundreds of feet. Apparently, the crash had also triggered avalanches that had further buried the remains. Because of the difficult conditions, the recovery effort was terminated after a week and the victims' families were told they would have no remains to bury. The debris was then covered by snow and ice, and was lost for the next 60 years.
295:. The site was nearly 14 miles from the 1952 crash location. The National Guard sent a team on foot to examine the site and they retrieved items that were identified as being from the crashed C-124. On June 13, 2012, Deputy Chief Rick Stone, J-2 Intelligence Directorate at the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, was assigned to investigate the wreckage.
225:
The severe weather continued for three days, so searching was only able to begin on
November 25. Thirty-two military aircraft searched the surrounding mountains and four Coast Guard vessels searched Prince William Sound. The wreckage of the aircraft was found on November 28, 1952, on the south side
221:
passenger aircraft. The reception was very poor, but the
Northwest captain made out the sentence: "As long as we have to land, we might as well land here." Weather near Elmendorf at the time was very bad with heavy clouds. The C-124 was flying without visual references, using just altitude, a radio
267:
Moore reported finding blood on a blanket and noted the "sickly-sweet smell of death" at the site. It seemed clear that there were no survivors. Sullivan noted that recovery of remains would be very difficult as the glacier was already covered by fresh snow eight feet deep. Near the remains of the
241:. The pair spotted the tail section of the C-124 sticking out of the snow at an elevation of about 8,100 feet (2,500 m), close to the summit of Mount Gannett. Sullivan and Moore recorded the location as being on the Surprise Glacier, which flows south and empties into
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At the time, this was only the second fatal accident for the C-124, and was by far the worst. However, the following year saw even more deadly crashes at
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317:, another C-124 crash less than a month later that killed 87 people and was at that time the deadliest-ever aviation accident.
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beacon and a stopwatch. There was no further communication from the C-124 and it failed to arrive at
Elmendorf as scheduled.
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helicopter on a training mission noticed a large yellow survival raft on the surface of the Colony
Glacier above
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The C-124 departed McChord Air Base in
Washington state en route to Elmendorf Air Force Base near
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544:"Military IDs remains of 17 service members killed in 1952 plane crash near Colony Glacier"
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253:, suggests that the actual crash location was a little further north on the Mount Gannett
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674:
Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States and U.S. territories in the 1950s
452:"Crash site of American military plane found in melting glacier more than 60 years on"
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639:
Alaskan Air
Command Report of a Major Aircraft Accident Involving C-124A No. 51-107A
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An asterisk (*) denotes an incident that took place in a U.S. territory, including
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in the Gulf of Alaska. Around 4pm, a distress call was received by the pilot of a
245:. However, the 2012 rediscovery of the remains of the aircraft at the foot of
254:
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On June 28, 2012, the US military announced the discovery of the wreckage.
279:, Overall, this was the fourth-worst accident involving a Douglas C-124.
60:
Controlled flight into mountainous terrain during approach in bad weather
621:
Tonja
Anderson-Dell (2017). Gifts From a Glacier. Richter Publishing.
198:
76:
572:"Operation Colony Glacier: A feel-good story or something greater?"
260:
Moore, who was a mountaineer and pilot as well as president of the
201:, on November 22, 1952. All of the 52 people on board were killed.
1419:
Accidents and incidents involving United States Air Force aircraft
1409:
Accidents and incidents involving the
Douglas C-124 Globemaster II
385:"After 60 years, Alaska glacier gives up wreckage from 1952 crash"
514:
348:"Aircraft debris found on glacier 12 miles from 1952 crash site"
1119:
647:
485:"DOD Recovers Remains of 17 From 1952 Aircraft Crash in Alaska"
31:
A Douglas C-124 Globemaster II similar to the accident aircraft
1434:
Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in 1952
418:"Search persists for remnants of 1952 glacier plane crash"
511:"Military Identifies 17 Killed in 1952 Alaska Crash"
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323:, a June 1953 air accident also involving a C-124.
301:The recovery operation was then taken over by the
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16:1952 aviation accident in Alaska, United States
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440:
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536:
411:
409:
407:
341:
339:
337:
8:
346:Grove, Casey; Dunham, Mike (June 27, 2012).
19:
1424:Aviation accidents and incidents in Alaska
1138:
1124:
1116:
666:
652:
644:
25:
18:
1429:November 1952 events in the United States
1312:Habomai Islands RB-29 shootdown incident
1063:Braniff International Airways Flight 542
237:and Lieutenant Thomas Sullivan from the
893:MacArthur Airport United Airlines crash
333:
952:United States Air Force Flight 441/13
693:Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 2501
7:
1172:Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 324
1010:Westover Air Force Base KC-135 crash
687:Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 307
185:military transport aircraft of the
934:Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 2
705:Fairfield-Suisun Boeing B-29 crash
383:Nelson, Laura J. (June 28, 2012).
14:
946:Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 304
1352:Cubana de AviaciĆ³n Bermuda crash
1148:Aviation accidents and incidents
752:Continental Charters Flight 44-2
449:Usborne, David (June 19, 2014).
303:Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command
287:On June 9, 2012, the crew of an
93:Douglas C-124A-DL Globemaster II
1439:Pre-statehood history of Alaska
465:from the original on 2022-05-01
940:Grand Canyon mid-air collision
179:1952 Mount Gannett C-124 crash
20:1952 Mount Gannett C-124 crash
1:
1182:American Airlines Flight 6780
1081:Allegheny Airlines Flight 371
1033:Southeast Airlines Flight 308
1016:Northeast Airlines Flight 258
981:Northeast Airlines Flight 285
975:Northeast Airlines Flight 823
769:American Airlines Flight 6780
728:Cubana de AviaciĆ³n Flight 493
699:Myrtle Beach USAF C-46D crash
489:American Forces Press Service
1272:American Airlines Flight 910
1192:National Airlines Flight 101
1075:National Airlines Flight 967
1069:Piedmont Airlines Flight 349
1057:American Airlines Flight 514
1045:American Airlines Flight 320
899:American Airlines Flight 476
875:American Airlines Flight 711
863:Cincinnati mid-air collision
840:American Airlines Flight 723
822:National Airlines Flight 470
787:American Airlines Flight 910
775:National Airlines Flight 101
416:Demer, Lisa (July 6, 2013).
183:Douglas C-124 Globemaster II
1302:Leningrad mid-air collision
1004:Capital Airlines Flight 300
911:United Air Lines Flight 629
905:United Air Lines Flight 409
740:United Air Lines Flight 615
734:United Air Lines Flight 610
722:National Airlines Flight 83
315:1952 Moses Lake C-124 crash
181:was an accident in which a
45:November 22, 1952
1455:
1222:Japan Air Lines Flight 301
1051:Capital Airlines Flight 75
998:Capital Airlines Flight 67
828:Delta Air Lines Flight 318
289:Alaska Army National Guard
1381:
1372:Luqa Avro Lancaster crash
1332:Mount Gannett C-124 crash
1292:Farnborough Airshow crash
1163:
1096:
969:Pacoima mid-air collision
793:Mount Gannett C-124 crash
746:Miami Airlines C-46 crash
219:Northwest Orient Airlines
197:in the American state of
24:
1098:This list is incomplete.
239:10th Air Rescue Squadron
137:Elmendorf Air Force Base
1242:Novosibirsk Il-12 crash
605:The Longest Flight Home
187:United States Air Force
103:United States Air Force
1362:Moses Lake C-124 crash
1039:The Day the Music Died
805:Moses Lake C-124 crash
321:Tachikawa air disaster
273:Moses Lake, Washington
123:McChord Air Force Base
603:Scott, Steve (2013).
1202:Air France Languedoc
887:Pan Am Flight 845/26
834:USMC R4Q NROTC crash
577:Anchorage Daily News
549:Anchorage Daily News
423:Anchorage Daily News
353:Anchorage Daily News
283:Discovery of remains
262:University of Alaska
226:of Mount Gannett by
1390:► 1953
1384:1951 ◄
1108:prior to statehood.
1087:San Diego F3H crash
795:(November 22 1952)*
21:
1387:
1232:Pan Am Flight 526A
881:Hawaii R6D-1 crash
801:(November 28 1952)
781:Pan Am Flight 526A
754:(December 29 1951)
748:(December 16 1951)
249:, where it enters
89:Aircraft type
1396:
1395:
1342:Tacoma C-54 crash
1252:Pan Am Flight 202
1113:
1112:
1089:(December 4 1959)
1083:(December 1 1959)
1047:(February 3 1959)
1041:(February 3 1959)
799:Tacoma C-54 crash
390:Los Angeles Times
293:Inner Lake George
211:Anchorage, Alaska
195:Chugach Mountains
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1065:(September 1959)
983:(September 1957)
883:(March 22 1955)*
842:(September 1953)
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607:. Author House.
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235:Civil Air Patrol
215:Middleton Island
193:, a peak in the
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824:(February 1953)
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597:Further reading
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580:. June 14, 2019
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552:. July 18, 2014
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582:. Retrieved
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554:. Retrieved
547:
523:. Retrieved
519:the original
505:
493:. Retrieved
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427:. Retrieved
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357:. Retrieved
351:
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270:
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228:Terris Moore
224:
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110:Registration
1012:(June 1958)
942:(June 1956)
836:(July 1953)
789:(June 1952)
736:(June 1951)
701:(July 1950)
695:(June 1950)
251:Lake George
133:Destination
1403:Categories
1053:(May 1959)
1006:(May 1958)
830:(May 1953)
627:1945812133
614:148177266X
160:Fatalities
144:Passengers
127:Washington
49:1952-11-22
255:ice field
232:Fairbanks
230:from the
168:Survivors
556:June 19,
525:June 19,
495:June 19,
469:June 19,
463:Archived
429:June 19,
396:June 19,
359:June 19,
309:See also
205:Accident
139:, Alaska
99:Operator
84:Aircraft
37:Accident
1152: (
1150:in 1952
114:51-0107
57:Summary
47: (
1368:Dec 30
1358:Dec 20
1338:Nov 28
1328:Nov 22
1318:Oct 26
1278:Aug 12
1268:Jun 28
1258:Jun 13
1248:Apr 29
1238:Apr 25
1228:Apr 11
1208:Mar 22
1188:Feb 11
1178:Jan 22
1168:Jan 19
1106:Hawaii
1102:Alaska
625:
611:
584:May 7,
275:, and
199:Alaska
77:Alaska
1348:Dec 6
1308:Oct 7
1298:Oct 5
1288:Sep 6
1218:Apr 9
1198:Mar 3
328:Notes
1154:1952
1104:and
1026:1959
991:1958
962:1957
921:1956
856:1955
815:1953
762:1952
715:1951
680:1950
623:ISBN
609:ISBN
586:2020
558:2014
527:2014
515:KTUU
497:2014
471:2014
431:2014
398:2014
361:2014
177:The
152:Crew
65:Site
42:Date
1405::
574:.
546:.
535:^
513:.
487:.
461:.
455:.
439:^
420:.
406:^
387:.
369:^
350:.
336:^
163:52
155:11
147:41
125:,
75:,
71:,
1156:)
1139:e
1132:t
1125:v
667:e
660:t
653:v
617:.
588:.
560:.
529:.
499:.
473:.
433:.
400:.
363:.
171:0
51:)
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