Martin PBM Mariner accident at Corpus Christi, United States of America, 8 Nov 1945 (01710)
On November 8, 1945, a Martin PBM Mariner (registration 01710) operated by United States Navy - USN was involved in an aviation accident near Corpus Christi, United States of America during landing or approach. 10 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The collision was attributed to a lack of discipline and coordination on part of both crew who failed to follow the procedures in place around the Corpus Christi NAS. 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.
Probable cause
The collision was attributed to a lack of discipline and coordination on part of both crew who failed to follow the procedures in place around the Corpus Christi NAS. At the time of the accident, there was no navigation aids and no ATC at the airbase and both crew were trained aware to put full attention to potential traffic. At the time of the collision, both crew were not focused on workload and environmental operations. Although it was dark at the time of the accident, visibility was greater than nine miles and weather conditions were considered as good.
— NTSB Determination
Accident narrative
The crew was performing a night training mission and while on approach to Corpus Christi NAS at a height of 400 feet, the aircraft collided with another Mariner registered 69113 and carrying a crew of 12. This second aircraft just took off from the bay when the collision occurred. Both aircraft went out of control and crashed into the Gulf of Mexico, some 2,5 miles offshore. On board the first Mariner, five crew members were rescued while all ten other occupants were killed. On the second Mariner, there were no survivor among the 12 occupants.
Probable cause (official findings): The collision was attributed to a lack of discipline and coordination on part of both crew who failed to follow the procedures in place around the Corpus Christi NAS. At the time of the accident, there was no navigation aids and no ATC at the airbase and both crew were trained aware to put full attention to potential traffic. At the time of the collision, both crew were not focused on workload and environmental operations. Although it was dark at the time of the accident, visibility was greater than nine miles and weather conditions were considered as good.