What happened
The aircraft was operating out of Johnston Atoll, conducting a search and rescue mission in the Pacific Ocean. The objective of the flight was to locate an Army B-24 that had crashed while en route from Oahu to Johnston Atoll. During the evening, as the seaplane approached the base for landing at an altitude of approximately 1,000 feet, it suddenly nosed over. The machine plunged into the water roughly 1,650 metres offshore and immediately burst into flames. All 10 crew members on board were killed in the incident.
Findings
Investigators were unable to determine the exact cause of the accident with certainty. However, several potential contributing factors were identified during the review of the event. One possibility suggested that the pilot may have failed to correct the altimeter settings before attempting the landing, leading to a collision with the water surface without realizing how low the aircraft was. Another theory involved a mid-air collision with large birds, which are known to be numerous in the area and active at night. Mechanical issues, such as an engine failure or a fire starting in flight just prior to impact, were also considered. The pilot was noted to be fully competent and unrestricted for operations in this specific aircraft type.