During World War II, several hundred military planes were involved in accidents in Alaska, Greenland and Canada. Sometimes navigational errors were to blame. Other times whiteouts caused loss of visibility. In all cases, pilots and crew ended up on the ground after crash landing.
Following the war, the Air Force analyzed the problems of arctic survival. On average, the survivors of the crashes had to wait five agonizingly long days to be rescued.
Men often suffered injuries in the course of the descent and then had to face freezing temperatures and the danger of frostbite. First aid kits and the medicine and bandages they contained froze solid, rendering them useless. Shelter was sometimes only a parachute. More fortunate pilots had planes equipped with blankets or sleeping bags.
Read an analysis of survival experiences in the arctic in the Trans World Airlines records at UW’s American Heritage Center.