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Martin PBM Mariner accident at Sargasso Sea, World, 5 Dec 1945 (59225)

Sargasso Sea, WorldFlight

On December 5, 1945, a Martin PBM Mariner (registration 59225) operated by United States Navy - USN was involved in an aviation accident near Sargasso Sea, World in flight. 13 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: It is believed that the crew may have lost his situational awareness or suffered a spatial disorientation and lost control of the aircraft while flying by night over the sea, without any ground visual references. 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)Source recordUpdated 2026-08-05Data APIEditorial standards

Probable cause

It is believed that the crew may have lost his situational awareness or suffered a spatial disorientation and lost control of the aircraft while flying by night over the sea, without any ground visual references.

— NTSB Determination

Accident narrative

The crew left Banana River NAS at 1927LT on a SAR mission, looking for five TBM Avenger that did not return to their base. Three minutes after departure, the contact was already lost. Twenty minutes later, while cruising at low height, the aircraft went out of control and crashed in a huge explosion into the Sargasso Sea, about 30 miles off New Smyrna, Bahamas. On site, the rescuers did not find any survivors among the 13 occupants.

Probable cause (official findings): It is believed that the crew may have lost his situational awareness or suffered a spatial disorientation and lost control of the aircraft while flying by night over the sea, without any ground visual references.

Related events

Same operator

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