Seaplane crash near Peral Harbor, 1945?

[Devil Dog]

I am beginning to research the crash of a seaplane in the vicinity of Pearl Harbor on January 23, 1945. My Great Uncle was a crewman on this aircraft and was lost at sea apparently along with the entire crew. Details are vague as my Grandfather did not wish to discuss the loss of his brother. We do not think he even knew much about it himself. Somewhere along the way, I think the aircraft type was mentioned as being a Martin PBM, but this could be in error. According to information found on an application for a grave marker for my Great Uncle: "From the information I received, Kenneth was on a flyng boat that was departing from Pearl Harbor when the engines quit and the plane nose dived into the Pacific Ocean and none of the bodies were recovered.". I know that during war time, details can be lost and facts misrepresented. Somehow, it seems odd that all of the engines would quit at the same time, much less cause the plane to nose dive. If the plane lost power, it still could have landed in the ocean. Being a float plane would be a good thing I would think...
Anyone have info about this aircraft loss or know where to look next? Surely somewhere there are records of flights in and out of Pearl Harbor, squadron logs, unit diarys, etc...

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Rob

[Anthony J. Mireles]

Did the accident happen at night? That is one way the airplane could have nose dived into the water while under control.

Another scenario--The pilots could have had their heads in the cockpit while trying to figure out the power loss problem when they inadvertently flew the airplane into the water. Easier to do than you think.

Also, when flying above water with no visual land marks it is quite easy for a pilot to misjudge his height over the water. This can be a big problem especially if the water is very calm.

After the loss of power, the pilot would lower the nose to gain airspeed and avoid a stall, again possibly inadvertently flying the airplane into the water.

Yes, it is unusual that both engines would fail at the same time, but quite possible. There are a few scenarios how this could happen.

Since there were no survivors, it is probably impossible to determine the cause of the accident.

Sorry for you loss.

Good luck with your research.

TonyM.

[Anthony J. Mireles]

Somehow, it seems odd that all of the engines would quit at the same time, much less cause the plane to nose dive.


Rob

The loss of power would not neccesarily "cause" the airplane to nose dive into the sea. It is more likely that it would be the actions or inaction of the pilots that would cause the airplane to dive into the sea.

TonyM.

[Devil Dog]

More information just received from family members suggest that the aircraft was possibly a PBY Catalina, conducting an anti-submarine patrol, or en-route to it's patrol area outside of Pearl Harbor. Either "mechanical problems" or engine failure were the cause of the crash. Were anti-submarine patrols conducted at night around Pearl Harbor in 1945? Surely there are squadron records of aircraft losses and casualties still around?

Thanks for the replies!

Rob

[PF]

What is surname? Check on ABMC website.
Was it a Navy Bomber squadron?

[DaveT]

PBY aircraft were still used in Hawaii in 1945. a quick search reveals an accident 5/18/45 by a PBY-5A. I recommend searching:
http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/ Also check VPNAVY web site and search by name, aircraft type or date & year
It helps if you have any records such as DD214, or squadron name
good luck