1952-12-26: Martin PBM Mariner (84787) — United States Navy - USN — Japan Sea, World

10 fatalitiesJapan Sea, WorldFlight

A maritime patrol aircraft crashed into the sea near North Korea after an engine fire forced the crew to perform a ditching maneuver.

What happened

During a scheduled maritime patrol mission over the Japan Sea, the flight crew experienced a critical mechanical failure involving an engine. The malfunction resulted in an engine fire while the aircraft was in flight. Due to the severity of the situation, the pilot-in-command decided to ditch the aircraft into the ocean.

The impact occurred approximately 160 km away from Wonsan, North Korea. The accident resulted in ten fatalities among the crew members on board. Despite the high number of deaths, rescue efforts were successful in retrieving four survivors from the wreckage site.

Probable cause

An engine fire during flight necessitated an emergency ditching.