6 fatalities

Night Training Flight Crash on Mountain Slope Kills Six Crew Members (37374)

Port Angeles, United States of AmericaFlight

On August 2, 1945, a Lockheed P-2 Harpoon (registration 37374) operated by United States Navy - USN was involved in an aviation accident near Port Angeles, United States of America in flight. 6 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The aircraft struck a mountain slope during a night training 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 2026-08-05Data APIEditorial standards

A night training flight ended in a fatal crash when the aircraft struck a mountain slope, resulting in the deaths of all six crew members on board.

What happened

The incident occurred during a night training flight. The aircraft lost control or deviated from its intended path and impacted the slope of a mountain. The collision was severe enough to be immediately fatal for everyone on board. There were no survivors among the personnel in the cockpit.

Findings

The primary factor leading to the loss of the aircraft was the impact with terrain during low-visibility conditions. As this was a training exercise, the specific procedural or mechanical failures that led to the deviation from the safe flight path are not detailed in the available source material. The event resulted in six fatalities.

Probable cause

The aircraft struck a mountain slope during a night training flight.