No fatalities

1971-12-19: De Havilland DHC-4 Caribou (62-4173) — United States Air Force - USAF (since 1947) — Farallon Islands, United States of America

Farallon Islands, United States of AmericaFlight

On December 19, 1971, a De Havilland DHC-4 Caribou (registration 62-4173) operated by United States Air Force - USAF (since 1947) was involved in an aviation accident near Farallon Islands, United States of America in flight. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The accident was caused by unidentified technical malfunctions occurring during flight. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

Sourcesthe Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A)Primary reportUpdated 1781234565Data APIEditorial standards

A flight en route to McClellan AFB was forced to ditch in the Pacific Ocean following the onset of unidentified mechanical issues.

What happened

While traveling toward McClellan AFB, located near Sacramento, the flight crew experienced unidentified technical difficulties during the mission. Due to these emerging complications, the captain determined that an emergency landing on the water was necessary. The aircraft was ditched in the vicinity of the Farallon Islands, situated approximately 30 miles west of San Francisco.

Following the ditching, all three crew members were successfully recovered from the scene. Although the personnel survived the incident, the aircraft subsequently sank into the ocean and is currently considered lost.

Probable cause

The accident was caused by unidentified technical malfunctions occurring during flight.