Flight Details
A Douglas DC-4 departed Honolulu at 22:47 PST, bound for Los Angeles with an estimated time of arrival of 10:27 PST. During the flight, the aircraft had accumulated 15–17 minutes of maintenance delay on a preceding round trip between Los Angeles and the Philippines. One recurring issue was an oil leak in the propeller governor assembly for the No. 2 engine.
Incident
At 05:54 PST, the pilot radioed that a serious fire was occurring in the No. 2 engine and indicated that a ditching might be necessary. No further communications were received from the flight.
Search Efforts
An extensive search was conducted but was discontinued after five days. No wreckage or debris was located.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined the probable cause to be an in-flight fire in the No. 2 engine for an undetermined reason, leading to a ditching at sea.