Flight 4422 : NWA DC-4 Traditional Geocache
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(regular)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
Five part series put out for COAP 2011-12.involving NWA Flight 4422.
On 12 March 1948 a DC-4 carrying 30 souls crashed into Mt Sanford AK USA killing all onboard. This is a tribute to those men who lost their lives that tragic night. You are looking for camo’d container loaded w/the usual goodies.
The DC-4 was the first airliner to be built with a circular section and the first nose wheel airliner. Before this development, aircraft sat on their tail like the famous DC 3. It was built by Douglas aircraft in 1939 for American Airlines & United, but production was diverted to the war effort of the Second World War. A total of 1245 aircraft were built between 1942 & 1947. 75 were built in Canada w/Rolls Royce Merlin engines. It was used extensively in WWII for troop movement and was instrumental in the Berlin Airlift.
The normal crew was four. However, Flight 4422 had a crew of six; two pilots, a co-pilot, a navigator (for polar/ocean flights), flight mechanic, and a purser, as it was a Charter Flight from Shanghai to New York City. The normal passenger configuration was 50 and it could be increased to 86 if required.
The DC 4 was a large airliner with four Pratt & Whitney engines. It was 93 feet long and had a wingspan of 117.5 feet. It could carry a payload of 20,000 lbs and a Maximum take off weight of 73,000 lbs. It could fly up to 280 miles per hour and a cruising speed was 227 mph. The aircraft range was 4,250 miles.
There are several DC 4s still in service; in Europe, South Africa & North American. The Canadian company Buffalo Airlines has two.
Flight 4422 was carrying 24 passengers. They were merchant seaman from the crew of SS Sunset. The crew of six changed in Anchorage AK for their leg of the journey to Chicago IL. The plane departed Merril Field at 2012 hours and was last in radio contact at 2103 hrs. It was cruising at an altitude of 11,000 ft. At 2113 hrs eyewitnesses saw a fireball on Mt Sanford, elevation 16,216 ft.
Congrats to Madpuck & Tagalong for FTF!
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)