What happened
On July 29, an aircraft identified as Hawaiian Clipper was operating a transpacific route from San Francisco to Manila. The flight plan included two intermediate stops at Honolulu and Guam Island. During the leg between these points, the aircraft crashed into the ocean under unknown circumstances.
The incident resulted in the loss of all 15 occupants on board. The crew consisted of the pilot, copilot, second officer, third officer, fourth officer, radio operator, engineer, assistant engineer, and a steward. Six passengers were also aboard the aircraft at the time of the disappearance.
Search and rescue operations were immediately initiated to locate the missing aircraft and its occupants. However, after several weeks of intensive efforts, no trace of the wreckage or any survivors was found. Consequently, the search operations were suspended due to the lack of evidence indicating the location of the crash site.
Findings
The official investigation concluded that the only definite fact established was a failure of communication between ground control and the aircraft between 0411 and 0412 G.C.T on July 29. Communication was never reestablished after this time, and no physical evidence of the aircraft has been discovered to date.
While various theories regarding the cause of the disappearance were considered by the investigating board, none could be confirmed as fact. The board noted that some theories were contradicted by available facts, while others remained unproven. Due to the absence of developed facts supporting any specific hypothesis, the investigation was left open with the expectation that additional evidence might be discovered in the future to complete the inquiry.