Dornier Do J Wal

Erprobungstelle

The crew was performing an international flight for the German company Erprobungstelle based in Lübeck-Travemünde. While flying along the Dutch coast, crew encountered problems and lost control of the float plane that crashed into the North Sea some 40 km off Ijmuiden. Quickly on site, the crew of two Belgian and Dutch ships were able to evacuate three crewmen while the fourth was killed. The aircraft was destroyed and lost.

Deutsche Lufthansa

The crew was performing a mail flight from Rio de Janeiro to Berlin with several intermediate stops. The float plane christened 'Tornado' was catapulted from the deck of the German ship christened 'Westphalen' in the region of Fernando de Noronha around 18:18 (GMT time) on February 14, 1936. Some 9 hours and 34 minutes later, all communications ceased with the crew. SAR operations were conducted by seven countries but no trace of the aircraft nor the crew was ever found. According to the authorities, the crew was flying at a speed of some 200 km/h and some 3 to 5 meters above the surface of the water.

Polyarnaya Aviatsiya

Crashed in unknown circumstances somewhere in Russia. The exact date of the mishap remains unknown, somewhere in the year 1934.

Royal Netherlands Navy - Marineluchtvaartdienst

In unknown circumstances, the floatplane suffered an accident while landing in the harbor of Surabaya and came to rest against the shore. There were no casualties.

Spanish Air Force - Aeronáutica Militar

En route from Huelva to Vigo, the crew encountered an unexpected situation and ditched the floatplane off Cape São Vicente, south Portugal. All four crew members were rescued by the crew of a British ship and the airplane later washed up on a beach.

Spanish Air Force - Aeronáutica Militar

The seaplane was engaged in an exercise out from Los Alcázares. In unclear circumstances, it crashed into the sea off Perdiguera Island, about 7 km south of San Javier Airbase. Two crew members were killed and two others were injured.

Polyarnaya Aviatsiya

Crashed in unknown circumstances in the Matochkine Strait, coming to rest broken in two. Occupant's fate unknown.

Royal Netherlands Navy - Marineluchtvaartdienst

The seaplane was returning to Surabaya-Morokrembangan following a maritime survey mission. It crashed upon landing and caught fire. All four crew members were killed.

Japan Air Transport

En route, the crew was forced to attempt an emergency landing and to ditch the airplane off Yawata. Upon landing, the seaplane disintegrated. Four crew members were killed and a fifth was injured.

Spanish Air Force - Aeronáutica Militar

After takeoff from Melilla, the seaplane went out of control and crashed into the sea, bursting into flames. Three crew members were rescued and two others were killed.

Syndicato Condor

The seaplane named 'Olinda' was performing a flight from Europe to South America with intermediate stops in Fernando de Noronha, Natal and Rio de Janeiro. While taking off from the Rio Potenji in Natal, the aircraft hit a floating object and crashed. Three occupants were killed while a crew member was injured.

Spanish Air Force - Aeronáutica Militar

The crew departed Ferrol on a flight to Santander to take part to manoeuvres. Few minutes after takeoff, while flying over Cape Ortegal, weather conditions deteriorated and due to an insufficient visibility caused by fog, the captain decided to return to Ferrol. While descending to Ferrol, the seaplane was too low and crashed on the slope of a mountain located near Cape Prioriño, west of Ferrol. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all six crew members were killed. Crew: Ens Fernando Cano-Manuel y Auberede Mst Jaime Planas Pujol, Mst Luis Azcárate Escudero, Mst José Sánchez Mariscal, Mst Manuel Rubio Rodríguez, Cpl Juan Bautista Navarro Ros.

Deutsche Lufthansa

En route from Szczecin to Stockholm, while approaching the Bornholm Island, an engine failed, forcing the crew to ditch the aircraft into the Baltic Sea at 1620LT. SAR were initiated in rough sea. Five occupants including the radio navigator were killed while three others were rescued. The aircraft was later towed but eventually sank and was lost.

Societa Anonima di Navigazione Aerea - SANA

Crashed in unknown circumstances in the Mediterranean Sea off the Italian coast.

Chilean Air Force - Fuerza Aérea de Chile

Crashed in unknown circumstances somewhere in Chile in 1929. The exact date of the mishap remains unknown.

Spanish Air Force - Aeronáutica Militar

The seaplane was engaged in a loca training flight out from El Atalayón Naval Station. In unknown circumstances, the airplane crashed in the sea few hundred metres offshore. All five crew members were injured, three seriously.

Spanish Air Force - Aeronáutica Militar

The seaplane departed the bay of Los Alcázares at 0900LT on a flight to Melilla, carrying three crew members. As the aircraft failed to arrive at destination, SAR operations were initiated. Five days later, on 5 January 1929, the wreckage was found four km west of Cape Figalo, Algeria. All three crew members were killed. Crew: Cdt Caulac, Cpt Pauler +1.

Syndicato Condor

The aircraft named 'Santos Dumont' was engaged in a special flight over the Guanabara Bay to take part to the celebrations for the return of Alberto Santos Dumont in Brazil. While cruising at a height of 300 feet, the pilot was forced to make a sharp turn to avoid a collision with another Dornier Do J Wal registered P-BAIA and named 'Guanabara'. During the turn, a part of a wing failed due to a structural failure and the seaplane entered a dive and crashed in the Guanabara Bay, near the German ship named 'Cap Arcona' that just arrived in Rio with the Brazilian Aviator Alberto Santos Dumont on board. The seaplane crashed off the Cobras Island, killing all 14 people aboard.

Regia Aeronautica

The crew was returning to Italy from the Svalbard (Spitzberg) archipelago after taking part to a SAR mission for the Italian Dirigible named 'Italia' that crashed during the summer time. En route, while cruising along the Rhône River, some 2 km south of Valence, weather conditions deteriorated and the visibility was poor due to heavy rain falls. The captain decided to return and made a sharp turn to the right at low altitude. The seaplane hit the power cables of the electricity company of Vercors, stalled and crashed in the Rhône River. Three crew members, among them both pilots, were killed. Two mechanics were slightly injured. The aircraft named 'Marina II' was destroyed. Crew: Cpt Gian Luigi Pinzo, pilot, † Lt Tulio Crosio, copilot, † Off Giuseppe Della Gatta, engineer, † Mr. Codoniosto, mechanic, Mr. Barrachini, mechanic.

E. Hosmer

Owned by the Canadian E. Hosmer, the twin engine seaplane was completing a transatlantic flight from Pisa to New York with intermediate stops in Lisbon, Horta and Halifax. On 28JUL1928, the crew departed Lisbon at 0800LT and arrived in the Azores Island the same day at 1700LT. On 01AUG1928, the aircraft departed Horta bound for Canada but en route, crew should make an emergency landing due to an engine fire some 500 miles offshore. The crew was rescued a day later by the crew of the ship named 'Minnewaska' and transferred to the US. The aircraft was recovered few days later by the crew of the ship named 'Valprato' and transferred to Canadian Vickers manufactury. Repair costs were considered as too high so the aircraft was withdrawn from use.

Royal Netherlands Navy - Marineluchtvaartdienst

The crew departed Morokrembangan (Surabaya harbour) on a test flight over the Java Sea. En route, the crew encountered technical problems with the elevators and attempted to ditch the aircraft that crashed in the sea off Madura Island. Three crew members were rescued and two others were killed.

Compania Aeromaritima de Colombia

The crew was performing a delivery flight from Willemstad (Curaçao) to Barranquilla. While overflying the Paraguaná Province, in Venezuela, the crew encountered technical problems and made an emergency landing off Punto Fijo. All three occupants were unhurt but the aircraft named 'Pacifico' was seriously damaged and later lost by sea.

Norsk Luftseiladsforening

The crew was taking part to an expedition to the North Pole on behalf of the program of the Norwegian Scientist Roald Amundsen. The airplane departed Ny-Ålesund, in the Svalbard Archipelago, on a flight to the North Pole. After a flight of eight hours, the crew encountered engine problems and completed a safe landing on the ice. It is believed that the aircraft encountered problems on takeoff and landing as well. As the fuselage was damaged, it was decided to abandon the aircraft on the ice and the crew later returned to Norway with another Dornier Do J Wal registered N-25. Crew: Leif Ragnar Dietrichson, pilot, Lincoln Ellsworth, navigator, Oskar Omdal, mechanic.

Regia Aeronautica

The crew departed Pisa, Italy, last 25 July to perform a transatlantic flight to Canada on behalf of the 'Commissariato Aeronautica', the ancient name of the Italian Air Force. The seaplane made stops in Saint-Raphaël, south of France, Lausanne (quai of Ouchy on Lake of Geneva), Strasbourg, Rotterdam, Hull, Stromness (Orkneys Islands), Feroe Islands and Reykjavik. While flying over the Sea of Labrador, some 180 km south of Cape Farewell, Greenland, the crew encountered engine problems and elected to make an emergency landing. The twin engine seaplane landed safely and the crew sent several mayday message. All five occupants were later rescued and evacuated by the crew of 'USS Richmond' which deviated from his route to the accident site. In a rough sea, the seaplane sank later and was lost and not recovered. Crew: Lt Antonio Locatelli, pilot, Lt Crosio, Lt Marescalchi, Mr. Braccini, flight engineer, Mr. Falcinelli, flight engineer.