Date & Time:
Aug 5, 1946 at 1330 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-74 Globemaster I
Operator:
Registration:
42-65403
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Test
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Long Beach - Long Beach
MSN:
13914
YOM:
1946
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The crew departed Long Beach Airport on a test flight. While cruising at an altitude of 12,000 feet, the pilot initiated a series of stall in accordance to the test program. During the descent, a section of the right wing broke off and separated. All four crew members (civilian employees of Douglas Company) bailed out and parachuted to safety while the airplane dove into the ground and crashed on a Texaco Oil refinery property at Carson avenue and Avalon boulevard in north Wilmington, near Torrance. The airplane disintegrated on impact.
Crew:
Russell Thaw Jr., pilot,
George Jansen, copilot,
Chris Nielsen, flight engineer,
H. H. Lane, technician.
Crew:
Russell Thaw Jr., pilot,
George Jansen, copilot,
Chris Nielsen, flight engineer,
H. H. Lane, technician.
Probable cause:
The fabric covered ailerons caused control problems and ultimately the separation of a section of the right wing.
