1946 Antarctica PBM Mariner crash

1946 aviation accident April 2022 1946 Antarctica PBM Mariner crash Crashed U.S. Navy PBM-5 Mariner on Thurston Island, 11 January 1947.jpg 300px Wreckage and survivors of the crash photographed on 11 January 1947 30 December 1946 - 12 January 1947 Severe weather Accident Thurston Island, Antarctica 3 Martin PBM Mariner United States Navy 59098 9 6 71 23 S 98 45 W inline,title 4 The 1946 Antarctica PBM Mariner crash occurred on 30 December 1946, on Thurston Island, Antarctica when a United States Navy Martin PBM-5 Mariner crashed during a blizzard.30 December 1956 Decade Ago Sarasotan Was Off For Antarctica Sarasota Herald-Tribune https://books.google.com/books?id=7HccAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA6 3 August 2021 3 August 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210803065248/https://books.google.com.au/books?id=7HccAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA6#v=onepage&q=1946%20Antarctica%20PBM%20Mariner%20crash live1974 United States aircraft losses in Antarctica https://books.google.com/books?id=xBzT8Yx3QGEC Antarctic Journal of the United States 9 3–4 2021-08-03 2021-08-03 https://web.archive.org/web/20210803065250/https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/Antarctic_Journal_of_the_United_States/xBzT8Yx3QGEC?gbpv=0 live Buno 59098 was one of 4 aircraft lost during Operation Highjump. The crash The aircraft based from Pine Island AV-12, Bureau Number 59098, callsign "George 1", hit a ridge and burned while supporting Operation Highjump. The crash instantly killed Ensign Maxwell A. Lopez and Petty Officer Wendell K. Hendersin. Two hours later, Petty Officer Frederick Williams also died. Six crewmembers survived the crash, Aviation Radioman James H. Robbins, pilot Ralph "Frenchy" LeBlanc, co-pilot William Kearns, photographer Owen McCarty, Plane Captain J.D. Dickens, and Pine Island Captain H.H. Caldwell, a guest observer on the flight. They were rescued 13 days later by an aircraft from Pine Island. LeBlanc was so frostbitten from the conditions that both of his legs were amputated to avoid gangrene spreading past his knee joints.Antarctic Mayday: The Crash of GEORGE ONE https://www.south-pole.com/p0000153.htm 2024-09-24 www.south-pole.com His legs were amputated on the Philippine Sea, a ship that was part of the rescue, and one of his arms was later surgically grafted to his face to repair frostbitten facial tissue in a Rhode Island naval hospital.Ralph LeBlanc Interview (1987) : Louisiana Digital Media Archive http://ldma.lpb.org/video_v2/asset-detail/LFRAN-0724 2024-09-24 ldma.lpb.org Hendersin, Williams, and Lopez were buried at the crash site and their remains have not been recovered. In 2004, during a surveying flight, a Chilean navy airplane flew over the site using ground penetrating radar to discover the exact location.Tribune STEVE CAHALAN La Crosse SISTERS WANT BODY RECOVERED FROM ANTARCTICA https://madison.com/news/local/sisters-want-body-recovered-from-antarctica/article_297fbfc7-c4c0-5653-bd5b-31e3bffe7048.html 2021-08-03 madison.com 21 April 2008 en 2021-08-03 https://web.archive.org/web/20210803064423/https://madison.com/news/local/sisters-want-body-recovered-from-antarctica/article_297fbfc7-c4c0-5653-bd5b-31e3bffe7048.html liveAirmen Lost in Antarctic Ice May Be Recovered https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna47966326 2021-08-03 NBC News 26 June 2012 en 2021-08-03 https://web.archive.org/web/20210803065248/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna47966326 dead A two-expedition recovery mission was planned, but subsequently cancelled, for both November 2008 and November 2009 to recover the three fatalities of the crash from their temporary grave.Hoffman Carl July 1, 2007 Buried at the Bottom of the World http://www.airspacemag.com/history-of-flight/highjump.html Air & Space Smithsonian Magazine article October 30, 2009 July 20, 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080720082324/http://www.airspacemag.com/history-of-flight/highjump.html live In 2012, another group announced plans to drill 100 ft on down to recover the bodies. Rich Lopez, nephew of Maxwell Lopez, was part of the plan. However the group struggled to raise the $1.5-3.5 million dollars they would need. See also List of Antarctica disasters by death toll References Huddleston Scott September 17, 2009 http://www.mysanantonio.com/military/Families_Navy_at_odds_over_1946_crash.html Families, Navy at odds over 1946 crash Newspaper article San Antonio Express-News September 21, 2009May 2017 Category:United States Navy in the 20th century Category:Accidents and incidents involving United States Navy and Marine Corps aircraft Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1946 Category:1946 in Antarctica Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in Antarctica