The MISSING Plane the Air Force NEVER Found! | AF 2469

Throughout the 1940s and 50s, an air navigation route known as the Northwest Staging Route earned the moniker “The Alaskan Graveyard.” As aircraft flew from Alaska down to the contiguous United States and back again, hundreds of crashes occurred as low time, inexperienced pilots contended with the worst flight conditions imaginable – we’re talking instrument conditions in the mountains with frequent icing.

As a result, dozens of emergency airfields were constructed, and a robust search and rescue system was put in place due to the sheer number of incidents. When an aircraft went down, rescue personnel typically located it within hours or, at worst, days. So why, when a Douglas C-54 went missing, and the combined RCAF and USAF forces conducted a month-long, 9 million dollar search, was flight AF 2469 never found?

What follows is a DEEP DIVE into an unsolved aviation accident.

PATREON

#mystery #aviationhistory #aircraftaccident

[mikeluers]

Great job researching #2469!
A few years after the accident, Robert Espe re-married and they had a daughter, Kathy Espe, who I married. Over the years, Kathy told me about the fact that her dad lost his first wife in a plane accident, but I did not know the whole story. Since then, I have ‘joined the cause’ to find the aircraft.
Ironically, a number of years ago, my pilot friends purchased two C-47 from the Israel Defense Forces. I served as navigator for one of the planes and we almost ended up in the north-sea, between Iceland and Greenland, due to ‘heavy icing’. The Israelis did a fantastic job maintaining the planes, except for the deicing boots, they were non-functional.

[luckeyhaskins]

As a retired Naval aviator C-54 Plane Commander who actually flew the last C-54 airlift I thoroughly enjoyed your video professionally done. First, the C-54 is probably the most forgiving plane I ever flew. That said it was altitude limited. We carried O2 masks for crew and pax to get to 20, 000’ no mention in the video. Deicing boots were only good in moderate icing and required technique or you could build ice in back of the boot. Personally I believe the pilot should have turned around back to known conditions rather than plodding ahead into unforecasted conditions. I never used radio range nav aids which are difficult even in good conditions. Also using magnetic compasses in the far north in IFR is asking for trouble. Looks like stacking of unfortunate events led to the aircraft loss. That said, just turn around and talk about it on the ground. How many hours did the pilot crew have? Hours in Texas don’t equal hours in Alaska.

[richardjohnson]

I've Been researching and locating military aircraft crash sites in Arizona for almost 40 years now. I totally concur with your findings, You've done a lot of hard work! I hope and pray that the families of the
victims of this missing C-54 can someday have closure. Great video, I applaud your efforts!! God bless you!!

[stevegordenier]

In the early 70s I was in the Air Force stationed at Elmendorf AFB at Anchorage. One day our Rescue Coordination Center (RCC) received a call from a bush pilot who had spotted what appeared to be a wing tip protruding from a glacier down on the Alaska Peninsula, southwest of Anchorage. We rolled a helicopter and the crew found what proved to be a relatively intact C-118 (DC6) Air National Guard aircraft from the Lower 48 that had disappeared some years back while on a summer exercise. Piecing the story together, it appeared the aircraft had impacted the glacier higher up. Storms had then buried the plane deeper and deeper until the glacier had eventually spit out the wreckage. Easy to imagine that C-54 suffering a similar fate. Perhaps one of these days it will reappear as a glacier moves it downstream. The RCC, by the way, maintained a card file with 3 x 5 index cards. Each card represented a missing aircraft that had never been found. There were several hundred cards in the box.

[markomaticd]

Last summer, my wife & I took a 2 month RV trip thru Canada & Alaska. I actually bought a book that coved this ( and other missing aircraft ) . Having driven & hiked there I now have much more respect for the vast distances and lack of vehicle accessibility there. Great job on the extensive work you have done here, I hope that someday the answer may be revealed.

[kilcar]

My dad was flying from Chicago to PDX in 1950 via United Airlines. the four ENGINE crafts no 1 engine exploded into flames. They were advised there were 100 mph head winds. Fortunately, they diverted and landed. I remember when he got home he was still shaken. A combat Pacific Navy Veteran, this was another notch' in his lifelong PTSD

[darrylday]

My grandfather flew this route during WW2. I wish I knew more about it but his log book was stolen in the early 70’s. As a pilot myself I found this video enlightening and brought me a little closer to understanding the conditions my grandfather endured.

[ecrof]

As a retired flight surgeon/pilot trained in accident investigation, well done. You are “subbed”. Look forward to more.

[bob.w]

It will fall out of a glacier one day maybe someone will see it. That B36 bomber was found . Nice job with the video . Mesmerizing.

[bkailua]

Well made video, I flew the DC-6 as a freighter and the DC-6 is similar to the DC-4 but the 6 had hot wings and was pressurized. My guess on why it was never found. Bad weather and snow covered wreck and a huge area to search. If the radio was inop and they were able to fly for a few hours or more the area might be as big as Nevada or Ca or bigger. This is a huge area in Canada with a small population so chances of someone finding it by chance are slim. Also there are a lot of lakes south of Snag and a huge lake south east of Snag. I also have flown over Northern Canada and it is hard to imagine how big it is and how little signs of life you can see from the air. I have seen the wreck of a large aircraft in the So Cal mountains from the air and even knowing where it is you will hard time finding it.

[glennquagmire]

This is the first time I have visited your channel. Impressive research.I can appreciate the obsession with something technical and historic. You never know when or if it may be handy, but if it gives you satisfaction, I am happy for you.

[johnwatson]

There are also the simpler explanations. The report over Snag actually said “we are in the vicinity of Snag” which supports what was widely known – the pilots did not fly the exact airway routes but “cut corners”, visually flying closer to the mountains to save time – only problem being conditions sometimes made the peaks invisible. This apparently caused the crash of a DC-4 flying the same route in 1947 – the pilot ran right into one of the Wrangell mountains. As sometimes seen in other mountain crashes avalanche action immediately covers the debris. The C-54 wreckage could have ended up in a static ice deposit but more likely will someday emerge from one of the Wrangell-St. Elias Glaciers.

[privatepilot]

I think you made some very valid theories on the fate of this flight. Well done!

[Kingpoint]

Good review and analysis!! A very puzzling story indeed and in my back yard here in the Yukon. The local CASARA organization continues to conduct annual organized searches for 2469 including as recent as this year. There is another "still missing" aircraft along the Amber 2 flight path. In June, 1943 a USAF C-48 air transport with a crew of 3 went missing after last radio contact NW of Aishihik (Tail Number 42-38325). They were south bound in route to Whitehorse (YXY) with a modest load of cargo. Like 2469, nothing has ever been found of the aircraft or the crew (Pilot Gilbert Enger, Co-Pilot Raymond Vanderbush, Radio Operator John Rebus...RIP).

[donnieweston]

Incredible research and dedication to this incident. I really appreciate your work on this and your other videos.

[KHKH-oskt]

My dad was on the search and felt the plane had pancaked on a ridge nearby and over the years sank into a mountain lake by spring.

[ryankenyon]

I subscribe to several disaster investigation channels, and I must say that the level of thoroughness and research you do is unheard of, save for Brick Immortar. Subscribed.

[unconventionalideas]

One aircraft was missing for similar reasons in Chile for many years, except that the crew flew above the icing conditions into the jet-stream, which they failed to factor into their navigation calculations. When they descended below the clouds, they crashed straight into the mountainside.

[danpatterson]

An aerial survey using ground-penetrating radar might offer some clues. Radar penetrates ice well, and is already used to monitor glacier thicknesses. Might even be able to do it from orbit, at least on a scale that would pick up something as large as a C-54.

[terryzanger]

Really interesting and well done. As a long time Yukon bushrat this story has always fascinated me. I have been fortunate to be a pax on so many older planes used in the north flying to remote locations, often on ice strips. There is a Catalina planted on a remote hill side about 40 miles south of my home. The wreck was a SAR out of Alaska and always haunted me. Thank-you for a great story. Hopefully the real ending is coming soon.