Hank Wharton

Canadair C-4 North Star

The crew was supposed to make a cargo flight from Rotterdam to Port Harcourt with intermediate stop at Palma de Majorca, Tamanrasset and Fort Lamy, carrying a load of 3,600 machine guns for the Biafra Government. As the official documentation could not be obtained via the Dutch Authorities for exportation to Africa, the crew flew from Rotterdam to Birmingham, UK before continuing to Spain. While in cruising altitude over Cameroun, the crew lost his orientation and was unable to locate his position with certainty. Due to fuel exhaustion, all four engines stopped and the captain decided to attempt an emergency landing. A belly landing was completed in a prairie and while contacting ground, the airplane broke into four pieces before coming to rest. All four crew members were rescued. It was reported the crew failed to obtain the appropriate charts to fly over West Africa.

Curtiss C-46 Commando

The twin engine aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances into the Atlantic Ocean about 240 km northwest of the Azores Islands while on a flight from Gander to Santa Maria. All three crew members were killed.