Departure and Flight Plan
The flight departed from Isle Grande Airport, San Juan, Puerto Rico, at 1724 on June 5, 1950, bound for Wilmington, North Carolina. The crew consisted of Captain Joe M. Halsey, Copilot William Holleran, and Steward Hector Medina. The aircraft carried 62 passengers, 8,436 pounds of fuel, and 1,363 pounds of baggage. The total takeoff weight was 48,258 pounds, which exceeded the certificated limit by 258 pounds. The crew filed an instrument flight plan with the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) air route traffic control at San Juan, routing from San Juan to South Caicos, then to Carp Intersection (144 miles southeast of Wilmington), and finally to Wilmington. The planned cruising altitude was 6,500 feet, with an estimated time en route of six hours and 50 minutes.
Engine Malfunctions
No difficulties were reported during the first four hours. A report transmitted at 2117 estimated the aircraft's position at 2148 as 28°33' north latitude, 74°58' west longitude, approximately 390 miles east of Melbourne, Florida, and 300 miles northeast of Nassau. Shortly before reaching this position, the crew noticed the right engine oil quantity had dropped from 32 gallons to 20. Immediately thereafter, the left engine backfired and lost power. Carburetor heat application and adjustments of fuel mixture and other controls were ineffective, so the left propeller was feathered. Captain Halsey took over controls from Copilot Holleran and headed toward Nassau, the nearest island with an adequate landing field. At 2146, he sent a message to the Overseas Foreign Aeronautics Communications Station (OFACS) in Miami, intercepted by San Juan CAA, stating the left propeller was feathered and they were proceeding toward Nassau.
Power on the right engine was increased to 2400 rpm and 30 inches of manifold pressure. The aircraft maintained 6,500 feet for about five minutes. During the transition to single-engine flight, airspeed decreased from 178 to 140 miles per hour. Shortly before feathering the left engine, another C-46 (N-1246N) operated by the same corporation passed flying in the opposite direction. The second crew was contacted and stood by to assist communications with shore stations during the rescue.
After the 2146 message, the crew of N-1248N observed the right engine oil quantity had fallen from 20 to 15 gallons. The right engine was overheating, with cylinder head temperature approaching 300°C. Captain Halsey began a voluntary descent to ditch before complete right engine failure. A message at 2154 stated, "Been losing altitude, at 1500." At 2200, a message read, "200 feet, losing altitude." At 2203, "Just about in the drink." The crew attempted to hold altitude at 200 feet until shore stations obtained radio bearings. According to the captain, the right engine speed decreased from 2400 to 2250 rpm and could not be increased. Airspeed was reduced to 100-110 miles per hour by retarding the right throttle, and the aircraft was ditched about 20 minutes after the left engine malfunction began. Wing flaps and landing lights were not used. Weather was clear with wind from the southwest at about 10 knots. The moon had not risen, but visibility allowed whitecaps to be seen.
Emergency Evacuation and Rescue
After the aircraft came to rest in the water, the crew entered the cabin and opened the main cabin door and emergency exits (not opened before ditching, contrary to the company's Operations Manual). Some passengers climbed onto the wings; others jumped into the sea. All seven 10-man life rafts were thrown overboard; five floated away because retaining ropes were not held, and two were inflated. The three crew members and 34 of the 62 passengers reached the two rafts. Captain Halsey stated he was the last to leave. The crew did not take the emergency transmitter ("Gibson Girl"), which sank with the aircraft, but the captain saved a flashlight. Much other emergency equipment was discarded by passengers on the crowded rafts. Five flares were fired at intervals during the night but were not observed.
The second C-46 remained in the search area and reported at 2321 (one hour and 18 minutes after ditching) seeing a blinking light on the water. A fix was requested. At 0018, the Federal Communications Commission reported a "fair" fix on the second aircraft at 28°10' north latitude, 75°12' west longitude. The next morning, a Coast Guard aircraft located the survivors, and the USS Saufley (a Navy destroyer) rescued those in the two rafts. One survivor who had clung to an uninflated raft during the night was located but killed by sharks before rescue. The rescue position was 27°51' north latitude, 75°22' west longitude.