Flight and Incident Overview
A Douglas DC-4 (serial number 10389) departed from Bronson Creek, British Columbia, on a visual flight rules cargo flight to Wrangell, Alaska. The aircraft carried a crew of three and approximately 16,600 pounds of cargo. The departure was uneventful until reaching about 1,500 feet above sea level, when the crew heard a whining noise in their headsets. Suspecting an inverter issue, they switched inverters, but the noise persisted. The cockpit electrical instruments then became erratic, and the number 2 engine, located on the left wing, began to misfire. The fire warning light illuminated briefly without the associated bell. The captain visually confirmed that the number 2 engine was on fire, and the crew executed the engine fire drill, but the fire did not extinguish.
Emergency Response and Landing
The captain initiated a right-hand turn to return to Bronson Creek and announced that the number 2 engine had separated from the wing. Maximum power was applied to the three remaining engines, but the aircraft began to lose altitude. Both pilots held the rudder and aileron controls at full right deflection to counter yaw and roll to the left. The aircraft was shaking violently, and no engine or flight instruments could be read. At about 50 feet above ground level, just short of the Iskut River, the pilots closed the throttles. The aircraft descended rapidly, and the burning left wing struck a tree as the fuselage contacted the river surface. All three occupants escaped the burning aircraft. The first officer and load master swam to safety; the captain is missing and presumed to have drowned. The aircraft was destroyed.
Aftermath and Probable Cause
The official investigation determined that the number 2 engine separated from the aircraft as a result of an intense fire in the wing. The loss of the engine rendered the aircraft uncontrollable, and the pilots were forced to land in the river.