Left: The last of the survivors being picked up from the water as the ditched Pan American Stratocruiser N90943 sinks into the Pacific 16.10.56. The rescue was completed in 13 minutes and the aircraft remained afloat for 21 minutes after the textbook ditching.
The sequence of photos (Right) shows the event as seen from the USCG "Pontchartrain" with (top) the Stratocruiser, nose down and apparently only one engine running, about to land on four-foot waves, (centre) It strikes the water, the impact causes the tail to break off and (bottom) the survivors board the life rafts to safety.
16.10.56 Pan American Boeing 377 Stratocruiser N90943 c/n 15959 'Sovereign of the Skies" was en route from Honolulu to San Francisco when number four engine failed and number one engine suffered a runaway propeller. Unable to maintain sufficient altitude and already past point of return to Honolulu, Capt Richard Ogg decided to ditch in the Pacific alongside the US Coast Guard cutter "Pontchartrain" located on Weather Station November, 30' N 145' W, approximately 1150 miles southwest of San Francisco. After circling for three hours to await the dawn and use up fuel, the Stratocruiser hit the water at 0816 PST, the tail section broke off, and all 24 passengers and 7 crew were safely evacuated into life rafts and taken off within thirteen minutes with only five minor injuries. The aircraft sank after twenty-one minutes.

Самолёты на фотографии: Aircrafts on the photo: Boeing C-97 / Model 377 Stratocruiser - СШАUSA - 1944

The Aquilla Airways flying boat which was wrecked by the gale at Santa Margherita on 26.9.56, Solent 3 G-ANAJ "City of Funchal" is seen here taxying out at Southampton for its proving flight to Capri and back in mid 1954.

Самолёты на фотографии: Aircrafts on the photo: Short Seaford / Solent / S.45 - ВеликобританияUnited Kingdom - 1944