On the 28th of March 1941 a
South African Airways Lockheed Lodestar, on a flight from Windhoek to Cape Town flew into a cliff next to the sea near Baboon Point close to
Elands Bay, in thick mist, with total loss of life of all on board (pilot and six passengers). Notable amongst the passengers was Rear Admiral GW Hallifax, who was the first director of the South African Seaward Defence Force, the forerunner of the
South African Navy. Some parts of the wreckage are on display at the
Elands Bay Museum. On 5 January 1948, a
South African Airways Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar (registration ZS-ASW) touched down at
Palmietfontein too far along the runway for it to stop before running off the end. The undercarriage was ripped off and the hull damaged beyond repair. There were light injuries to passengers but no fatalities. Between 1941 and 1944, the
Panair do Brasil airline suffered 4 accidents involving the Lodestar which resulted in a total of 57 fatalities. In January 1943, Lockheed Lodestar Mk.II EW986, c/n 2154, in the service of the
Royal Air Force, overshot and crashed 3 km south of
Heliopolis, Egypt. At least 12 crew members and passengers died in the crash. On 10 April 1953, a Caribbean International Airways operated Lockheed Lodestar (registration VP-JBC) with airline owner, Royal Air Force officer and aviator
Owen Roberts, as its pilot in command, suffered engine failure during takeoff from
Palisadoes Airport. The plane then entered a banking turn and went down in the
Caribbean Sea near
Lime Cay. All but one of the 14 occupants were killed in the crash, including Roberts, and leaving Roberts’ brother-in-law, Edward Remington Hobbs, as
sole survivor. On 20 December 1956, Alden G. Roach, president of the
Consolidated Western Steel and the
Columbia-Geneva-Steel Divisions of
U.S. Steel, pilot and co-pilot crash near
Tyrone, Pennsylvania, Model 18-56, N 1245V, U.S. Steel owned company plane. Causes unknown. On 22 March 1958,
Mike Todd's private plane Lucky Liz, named after his wife
Elizabeth Taylor, crashed near
Grants, New Mexico. The plane, a twin-engine Lockheed Lodestar, suffered engine failure while being flown overloaded, in icing conditions at too-high an altitude for the loading. The plane went out of control and crashed, killing all four on board. On 4 September 1962, a Lockheed 18-56-24 Lodestar operated by the Ashland Oil and Refining Company crashed near
Lake Milton, Ohio. The flight was in-route to
Ashland Regional Airport (KDWU) from Buffalo Airport, NY. Eleven passengers and two crew-members were killed. Investigation determined the crash a result of a malfunction of the electric elevator
trim tab, which caused the loss of the plane's right wing during flight. On 21 August 1983, a Lockheed L-18 LEARStar operated by Landry Aviation, Inc. crashed near
Silvana, Washington. The flight was a planned parachute drop carrying two pilots and 22 parachutists. Nine parachutists and two crew-members were killed while 13 were able to parachute to safety after the pilots lost control and entered a vertical descent from 12,500 feet. Investigation determined the crash a result of a failure of the operator and pilot-in-command to assure proper load distribution during the parachute drop. ==Surviving aircraft==