Transocean Air Lines Flight 512 Disappearance (N90806)

Flight Operations and Crew Details Transocean Air Lines Flight 512 departed Guam, M.I., at 0004 on July 12, 1953, bound for Oakland, California, with planned intermediate stops at Wake Island and Honolulu, T.H. The flight reached Wake Island without incident after a five-hour, 35-minute leg. One additional passenger boarded at Wake Island, bringing the total passenger count to 50 for the segment to Honolulu. The crew consisted of Captain W. L. Word, First Officer H. A. Hudson, Second Officer L. H. Nowell, Navigator J. R. Hay, Flight Engineer G. C. Haaskamp, Student Flight Engineer P. Yedwabnick, Flight Purser H. H. Sargent, and Stewardess N. L. Downing. ## Departure from Wake Island Following a weather briefing by U.S. Weather Bureau personnel, the crew filed an IFR flight plan for a rhumb-line course to Honolulu at 15,000 feet and 236 miles per hour. The estimated elapsed time was nine hours and three minutes, with 11 hours and 15 minutes of fuel on board. Prior to departure, the aircraft received 2,503 gallons of 100/130 octane gasoline, bringing the total fuel load to 4,069 gallons, along with 32 gallons of oil. Takeoff from Wake Island occurred at 0658 on July 12, 1953. Company records indicated a total gross weight of 94,397 pounds at takeoff, within the allowable limit of 100,000 pounds, with proper load distribution relative to approved CG limits. ## Last Known Position and Alert Seven minutes after departure, Flight 512 was cleared from the Wake Island CAA Control Tower frequency. At 0729, the flight made its required 100-mile-east position report, stating it had reached cruising altitude two minutes earlier. At 0829, one hour and 31 minutes after departing Wake Island, the flight reported its position at 19 degrees 48 minutes north latitude, 171 degrees 48 minutes east longitude, and reported cruising at 15,000 feet between cloud layers. This was the last known radio contact with the flight. Because the flight did not report over its next scheduled reporting point, Wake Island ARTC declared an alert at 1001. ## Search and Recovery At 1212, an aircraft flying from Honolulu to Wake Island reported sighting a green flare. The reporting aircraft was positioned at 19 degrees 23 minutes north latitude and 172 degrees 05 minutes east longitude at the time of the sighting. The U.S. Coast Guard immediately dispatched several aircraft and a surface vessel to search the area. A Preliminary Accident Notice was filed by Wake Island ARTC at 1643 on July 12, 1953.