Honolulu Clipper
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21°9′47.60″N 147°54′17.94″W / 21.1632222°N 147.9049833°W approximately
 Boeing 314 wearing Navy paint. | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | November 3, 1945 |
| Summary | Forced landing |
| Site | 650 miles east of Oah'u in the Pacific Ocean 21°9′47.60″N 147°54′17.94″W / 21.1632222°N 147.9049833°W approximately |
 | |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 314 |
| Operator | Pan American World Airways |
| Registration | NC18601 |
| Flight origin | Pearl Harbor |
| Destination | California |
| Passengers | 26 |
| Crew | 11 |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Survivors | 37 |
Honolulu Clipper was the prototype Boeing 314 flying boat designed for Pan American Airways. It entered service in 1939 flying trans-Pacific routes.
Like other long range Clipper aircraft in Pan-Am it aided US military during World War II. In service with the US Navy it made a forced landing 650 miles east of Oahu on 3 November 1945[1] and when the subsequent salvage attempt was abandoned, the Honolulu Clipper was deliberately sunk by gunfire.
Passengers flying aboard the aircraft over its service life of 18,000 flying hours included Clare Boothe Luce, Eddie Rickenbacker, Thomas Kinkaid, Chester Nimitz, and Peter Fraser.
Pan Am initiated trans-Pacific airmail service on 22 November 1935; and began carrying passengers in October 1936. Pan Am requested Boeing to design a longer range flying boat to improve service offered by the original Martin M-130s; and Boeing completed NX18601 with the canceled Boeing XB-15 wing design and a single vertical tail fin on 1 June 1938. A twin rudder tail was substituted after the initial test pilot reported adjusting engine power was the only way to turn the aircraft; and that was subsequently replaced with the triple tail used on production aircraft. Boeing also modified the hull-step and sponsons to provide satisfactory performance during takeoff and landings.[1]
