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CIVIL AERONAUTICS AUTHORITY

WASHINGTON, D C.

The Air Safety Board made a preliminary report to the Civil Aeronautics Authority today on the disappearance of the Hawaii Clipper with six passengers and a crew of nine aboard last July *** between Guan and *** on a regularly scheduled flight across the Pacific.

The document reveals that no authentic trace of the airplane over has been found and that, as a result, those who investigated its disappeared are unable to *** any probable cause for the disaster that is presumed to have overtaken the big *** boat. Pending the discovery of some concrete evidence as to the *** of the *** Clipper, the investigation remains in an open ***.

In transmitting the report, the Safety board which consists of Colonel *** Smith, Chairman, and Thomas *** sets forth that it was prepared and submitted by a Board of Investigation originally constituted by the Secretary of Commerce, prior to the creation of the Civil *** authority and the *** board. The Secretary of Commerce directed that this board be relieved of its obligation to report to her, continue, its any *** results the *** to the Air Safety Board of the Civil Aeronautics *** Members of the board were *** Inspector, Phil C. *** Airline maintenance Inspector, and *** Separation interdict, International Section.

The report discloses that an oil slick discovered by the United States my Transport *** the last reported position of the Hawaii Clipper the *** disappearance was proved by chemical analysis and other *** to have no connection *** with the airplane though *** covery this was generally *** to the flying boat's fate. It refuses to dismiss, however, as without possible bearing on the disappearance of the clipper, a report from the *** that a large airline *** flying, above the *** small *** lying *** close to the south *** and is *** on the course *** clipper's last reported position to *** The report points *** that at normal cruising spend the flying boat should have *** a that vicinity at approximately *** Time. *** sland of the *** group and *** its southern portion, and the *** islands in the vicinity, are moderately *** and mountainous territory ***

*** had been ascertain *** private *** in that vicinity *** clipper disappeared, *** negative results. It its *** the report saws, however, *** Board *** prepared to saw that the *** of *** island *** considered as conclusive".

Attached is a copy of the full report.