Vancouver – Cold Bay – Tokyo – Hong Kong

On August 29, 1956 at 08:45 PM, Vancouver – Cold Bay – Tokyo – Hong Kong experienced a crash involving Douglas DC-6, operated by Canadian Pacific Airlines - CP Air, with the event recorded near Cold Bay Alaska.

The flight was categorized as scheduled revenue flight and the reported phase was landing (descent or approach) at a airport (less than 10 km from airport) crash site.

22 people were known to be on board, 15 fatalities were recorded, 7 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 68.2%.

Crew on board: 8, crew fatalities: 4, passengers on board: 14, passenger fatalities: 11, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. Flight 307 departed Vancouver, British Columbia at 1347 Bering standard time en route to Hong Kong, China, with a refueling stop at Cold Bay, Alaska and an intermediate stop at Tokyo, Japan, carrying a crew of 8 and 14 passengers. At 2011 the flight reported 100 miles out, estimating Cold Bay at 2036. It reported being over the Cold Bay range station outbound on a standard instrument approach at 2035, and at 2042 as completing a procedure turn and proceeding inbound. This was the last transmission from the flight. At 2045 the aircraft was observed to descend from the overcast north of the airport for a landing on runway 14 and cross the field at low altitude to the intersection of the two runways. At this point a shallow left turn was started and the aircraft went out of sight southeast of the airport. Shortly afterwards a fire was observed and it was ascertained that the aircraft had crashed. Eleven passengers and 4 crew members were fatally injured. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire.

Aircraft reference details include registration CF-CUP, MSN 43843, year of manufacture 1953.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 55.2072°, -162.7147°.