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 C54 went missing, and the combined RCAF and USAF forces conducted a monthlong, 9 million dollar search, was flight AF 2469 never found?

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

PATREON
  / flightdojo  

#mystery #aviationhistory #aircraftaccident