Vancouver – San Francisco – Oakland – Honolulu – Melbourne
Flight / Schedule
Vancouver – San Francisco – Oakland – Honolulu – Melbourne
Aircraft
Airspeed AS.6 EnvoyRegistration
VH-UXY
MSN
31
Year of Manufacture
1935
Operator
Charles T. P. UlmDate
December 3, 1934 at 10:00 AM
Type
CRASHFlight Type
Private
Flight Phase
Flight
Crash Site
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Crash Location
Pacific Ocean All World
Region
World • World
Crash Cause
Technical failure
Narrative Report
On December 3, 1934 at 10:00 AM, Vancouver – San Francisco – Oakland – Honolulu – Melbourne experienced a crash involving Airspeed AS.6 Envoy, operated by Charles T. P. Ulm, with the event recorded near Pacific Ocean All World.
The flight was categorized as private and the reported phase was flight at a lake, sea, ocean, river crash site.
3 people were known to be on board, 3 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 100.0%.
Crew on board: 3, crew fatalities: 3, passengers on board: 0, passenger fatalities: 0, other fatalities: 0.
The listed crash cause is technical failure. The crew was attempting a new record over the Pacific Ocean on a flight from Vancouver to Melbourne with intermediate stops in San Francisco, Oakland and Honolulu. En route to Hawaii, the crew encountered poor weather conditions. Due to low visibility, he was unable to localize the islands and sent several radio messages advising he was lost and running out of fuel. The aircraft named 'Stella Australis' eventually crashed into the ocean around 1000LT. Despite an extensive and immediate search by aircraft and 23 naval ships, no trace of the Envoy nor the crew was ever found. Captain Ulm had chosen not to carry a life raft on board, preferring to save weight and predicting the aircraft would float for two days if it were forced to land on water. Crew: Charles T. P. Ulm, pilot, G. M. Littlejohn, copilot, J. S. Skilling, radio navigator.
Aircraft reference details include registration VH-UXY, MSN 31, year of manufacture 1935.
Fatalities
Total
3
Crew
3
Passengers
0
Other
0
Crash Summary
The crew was attempting a new record over the Pacific Ocean on a flight from Vancouver to Melbourne with intermediate stops in San Francisco, Oakland and Honolulu. En route to Hawaii, the crew encountered poor weather conditions. Due to low visibility, he was unable to localize the islands and sent several radio messages advising he was lost and running out of fuel. The aircraft named 'Stella Australis' eventually crashed into the ocean around 1000LT. Despite an extensive and immediate search by aircraft and 23 naval ships, no trace of the Envoy nor the crew was ever found. Captain Ulm had chosen not to carry a life raft on board, preferring to save weight and predicting the aircraft would float for two days if it were forced to land on water. Crew: Charles T. P. Ulm, pilot, G. M. Littlejohn, copilot, J. S. Skilling, radio navigator.
Cause: Technical failure
Occupants & Outcome
Crew On Board
3
Passengers On Board
0
Estimated Survivors
0
Fatality Rate
100.0%
Known people on board: 3
Operational Details
Schedule / Flight
Vancouver – San Francisco – Oakland – Honolulu – Melbourne
Operator
Charles T. P. UlmFlight Type
Private
Flight Phase
Flight
Crash Site
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Region / Country
World • World
Aircraft Details
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