Douglas DC-3

Operator:

Registration:

NC33645

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Santiago de Chile – Arequipa – Lima

MSN:

4124

YOM:

1941

Flight number:

PAG009

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

1437

Captain / Total hours on type:

1151.00

Copilot / Total flying hours:

722

Copilot / Total hours on type:

280

Aircraft flight hours:

3179

Circumstances:

Fifty-five minutes after its departure from Arequipa Airport, while cruising at an altitude of 13,000 feet in marginal weather conditions, the airplane impacted the slope of a mountain located near Cháparra. Extensive emergency resources were dispatched to the scene where a seriously injured passenger was evacuated while 14 other occupants were killed.
Crew:
Gordon W. Gardner, pilot,
Robert W. Turbyne, copilot,
James T. Ewing, radio operator,
Jorge Alvarez, purser.

Probable cause:

Action of the pilot in continuing the flight on instruments in the overcast, contrary to company flight procedure of which, according to the evidence, the pilot was aware.
The following contributing factors were identified:
- Absence of adequate flight dispatch control by the company,
- Failure of the company to inaugurate and maintain written flight and operating procedures in such a form as to be constantly available for the guidance of pilots and dispatchers.

Final Report:

Crash of a Douglas DC-3A-197 in Oakland

Date & Time: Jan 11, 1943

Type of aircraft:

Landing (descent or approach)

Operator:

Registration:

NC16090

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Site:

Schedule:

Oakland - Oakland

MSN:

1929

YOM:

1937

Location:

Oakland

California

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew was performing a local training exercise on behalf of the USAAF. While flying in the vicinity of the Oakland Municipal Airport, the airplane caught fire for unknown reason. The crew attempted an emergency landing when the airplane crashed, bursting into flames. Both crew members were injured and the airplane was destroyed by a post crash fire.

Probable cause:

In flight fire for unknown reasons.

Crash of a Douglas DC-3A-191 near Fairfield: 17 killed

Date & Time: Dec 15, 1942 at 0122 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

NC16060

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Salt Lake City – Las Vegas – Burbank

MSN:

1900

YOM:

1936

Flight number:

WA001

Location:

Fairfield

Utah

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

2885

Captain / Total hours on type:

533.00

Copilot / Total flying hours:

596

Copilot / Total hours on type:

126

Aircraft flight hours:

14773

Circumstances:

While cruising at the assigned altitude of 10,000 feet, the airplane entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed near Fairfield, Utah. Rescuers arrived on scene at 1125LT and two passengers seriously injured were evacuated while 17 other occupants were killed. It appears that the aircraft reached a wrong attitude and lost part of its wings and stabilizer prior to be out of control.
Crew:
Edward John Loeffler, pilot,
James Clifton Lee, copilot,
Douglas Mortimer Soule, copilot,
Cleo Lorraine Booth, stewardess.

Probable cause:

On the basis of all of the facts, conditions and circumstances known to the Board at this time, it is concluded that failure of the left, or possibly both wing tips, and of the horizontal tail surfaces occurred in the air during a severe pull-up. However, no definite conclusion can be drawn from the evidence as to whether the pull-up was caused by operation of the controls by the crew, or by some other forces beyond their control. Due to the lack of any plausible theory for the latter, it seems more probable that the maneuver was initiated by the crew, possibly in an attempt to avoid collision with a bird, another aircraft, or some object which they saw or thought they saw.
Probable cause:
Failure of the left, or possibly both wing tips and of the horizontal tail surfaces as a result of a sever pull-up which caused unusual and abnormally high air loads. The reason the pull-up maneuver was not determined.

Final Report:

Crash of a Douglas DC-3-194F in Madrid

Date & Time: Dec 9, 1942

Type of aircraft:

Landing (descent or approach)

Operator:

Registration:

D-ABBF

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Site:

Schedule:

Lisbon – Madrid

MSN:

2110

YOM:

1939

Location:

Madrid-Barajas-Adolfo Suárez

Madrid

Country:

Spain

Region:

Europe

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew initiated the approach to Madrid-Barajas Airport in foggy conditions. On final, the airplane hit the ground and crash landed in a field located few km short of runway. The fuselage broke in two, the undercarriage were sheared off and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. All 24 occupants evacuated safely.

Crash of a Douglas DC-3A-191 at Wright-Patterson AFB: 3 killed

Date & Time: Nov 18, 1942

Type of aircraft:

Landing (descent or approach)

Operator:

Registration:

NC16064

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Cargo

Survivors:

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

MSN:

1904

YOM:

1937

Location:

Wright-Patterson AFB (Dayton)

Ohio

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

On final approach to Wright-Patterson AFB, the crew failed to realize his altitude was insufficient. The airplane hit a tree with one of its wings, stalled and crashed, bursting into flames. All three crew members were killed. They were completing a cargo flight on behalf of the USAAF.

Crash of a Douglas DC-3-392 off Cooktown

Date & Time: Nov 12, 1942

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

VH-CDI

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Townsville – Cooktown

MSN:

4083

YOM:

1941

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Approaching Cooktown on a flight from Townsville, the pilot encountered an unexpected situation and was forced to ditch the airplane in the sea. All four crew members found refuge in a dinghy and were rescued 18 hours later by the crew of a freighter ship. Named 'The Apple Cart', the airplane sank and was lost.
Crew (374th TCG):
1st Lt Melvin C. Lewis,
S/Sgt Daniel J. Murphy +2.

Crash of a Douglas DC-3-209A near Kansas City

Date & Time: Nov 4, 1942 at 1149 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

NC18951

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Kansas City - Kansas City

MSN:

2015

YOM:

1937

Location:

Kansas City

Kansas

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

4488

Captain / Total hours on type:

2888.00

Copilot / Total flying hours:

1500

Copilot / Total hours on type:

700

Circumstances:

A midair collision involving aircraft of United States registry, a Douglas DC-3, NC18951, and a US Army aircraft, type C-53, registered 41-20116, occurred at an altitude of between 3,500 and 3,900 feet about 4 1/4 miles northeast of the Kansas City Range Station and 1 3/4 miles north of the on course of the northeast leg of the Kansas City Radio Range. At the time of the accident, NC18951 was operating on a check flight in the vicinity of the Kansas City Municipal Airport as a part of the routine instrument flight instruction of Transcontinental & Western Air. The C-53 was on a non-stop cross-country flight from Indianapolis to Wichita via Kansas City, in the service of the US Army Air Forces. The DC-3 received major damage from the collision in the air and was demolished by the resultant crash landing in a group of small trees in the vicinity of Linden, Kansas. The C-53 received major damage as a result of the collision but succeeded in landing at the Kansas City Municipal Airport without further damage. The DC-3 captain sustained minor injuries. None of the 5 other persons involved was injured.

Probable cause:

Error of judgment of the Kansas City Air Traffic Control operator in clearing the TWA DC-3 to climb into the overcast, within the limits of a civil airway, when he had knowledge of the expected arrival, in the immediate vicinity, of the Army C-53.

Final Report:

Crash of a Douglas DC-3-178 near Palm Springs: 12 killed

Date & Time: Oct 23, 1942 at 1715 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

NC16017

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Hollywood – Phoenix

MSN:

1555

YOM:

1936

Flight number:

AA028

Location:

Palm Springs

California

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

17155

Captain / Total hours on type:

5000.00

Copilot / Total flying hours:

863

Copilot / Total hours on type:

353

Circumstances:

While cruising on airway 5 at an altitude of 9,000 feet, the DC-3 collided with a USAAF Lockheed B-34 Ventura II registered 41-38116 and performing a flight from Long Beach to Palm Springs with two pilots on board. Following the collision, the DC-3 dove into the ground and crashed 5 km north of Palm Springs, killing all 12 occupants. The crew of the Ventura was able to land safely at Palm Springs Airport. The American composer Ralph Rainger was among the passengers.
Crew:
Charles Fred Pedley, pilot,
Louis Frederick Reppert Jr., copilot,
Estelle Frances Regan, stewardess.

Probable cause:

Reckless and irresponsible conduct of the Ventura's pilot in deliberately maneuvering a bomber in dangerous proximity to an airliner in an unjustifiable attempt to attract the attention of the first officer (copilot) of the latter plane. The evidence of the record leaves no doubt as to the cause of, or the responsibility for, this accident. The pilot of the Bomber testified with great frankness to the facts, which showed that no diverged from his military mission to fly the Bomber in close proximity to the Airliner for the express purpose of signalling friend in the copilot's seat of the letter plane. Such conduct was wholly without justification. The investigation discloses no basis for any inference that the pilot in command of the Airliner was aware of the reason for Lieutenant Wilson's conduct or that he sought in any manner to cooperate with Lieutenant Wilson in any plan of reciprocal solution. Both the pilot and copilot of the Bomber testified that they observed no maneuver of recognition from the Airlines in response to the Bomber's wing-dip salute. Board is driven to the conclusion that this collision resulted from the reckless and irresponsible act of the Bomber pilot and that the captain of the Airliner was without fault.

Final Report:

Crash of a Douglas R4D-1 in Nouméa: 8 killed

Date & Time: Oct 9, 1942

Type of aircraft: