1948 Gatow air disaster [SEP] point in time
1948 Gatow air disaster
The 1948 Gatow air disaster was a mid-air collision in the airspace above Berlin, Germany that occurred on 5 April, sparking an international incident. A British European Airways (BEA) Vickers VC.1B Viking airliner crashed near RAF Gatow air base, after it collided with a Soviet Air Force Yakovlev Yak-3 fighter aircraft. All ten passengers and four crew on board the Viking were killed, as was the Soviet pilot. The disaster resulted in a diplomatic standoff between the United Kingdom and United States on one
remain unsolved to this day, with the resulting speculation helping to develop the Bermuda Triangle legend.
- March 12 – Northwest Airlines Flight 4422, a Douglas C-54 Skymaster, crashes into Mount Sanford in the Alaska Territory, killing 30. Though the wreckage was initially found, it was inaccessible; it was later buried and not rediscovered until 1999.
- April 5 – In the 1948 Gatow air disaster, a British European Airways Vickers VC.1 Viking crashes near RAF Gatow, Berlin after a collision with a Soviet Air Force Yakovlev