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Crash of a Dassault Falcon 20C in Parkersburg: 6 killed

Date & Time: Mar 13, 1968 at 0742 LT
Type of aircraft:
Dassault Falcon 20
Operator:
M Air
Registration:
N1846
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Training
Survivors:
No
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Parkersburg - Parkersburg
MSN:
47
YOM:
1966
Location:
Parkersburg
West Virginia
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
4
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Captain / Total flying hours:
12704
Captain / Total hours on type:
695.00
Circumstances:
The aircraft was involved in a local training flight at Parkersburg-Wood County Wilson Airport, carrying four passengers and two pilots who were conducting touch-and-go maneuvers. Following a circuit, the pilot-in-command landed on a contaminated runway (slush, snow and ice). After touchdown, he attempted to takeoff when control was lost. The airplane veered off runway and crashed in flames on a dirt bank. It was destroyed and all six occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
The pilot made touch and go landing to check braking action and after touchdown, allowed insufficient runway distance to execute a go around as he misjudged the distance available.
Final Report:

Crash of a Lockheed 18-56-23 LodeStar in Wheeling: 1 killed

Date & Time: Oct 13, 1966 at 1708 LT
Type of aircraft:
Lockheed 18 LodeStar
Operator:
BBR Drilling
Registration:
N131E
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Private
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
MSN:
2503
YOM:
1943
Location:
Wheeling
West Virginia
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
4
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Captain / Total flying hours:
6000
Captain / Total hours on type:
400.00
Circumstances:
Just after liftoff at Wheeling-Ohio County Airport, the right engine lost power. The pilot elected to make an emergency landing when control was lost. The airplane stalled, struck the ground and crashed in flames. A passenger was killed while four other occupants were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed by a post crash fire.
Probable cause:
Uncontrollable overspeed on the right engine caused by a master and connecting rods failure. The pilot failed to maintain flying speed and was forced to attempt an emergency landing. Failure of the driveshaft.
Final Report:

Crash of a Beechcraft C-45G Expeditor in Parkersburg: 5 killed

Date & Time: Jul 13, 1965 at 1502 LT
Type of aircraft:
Beechcraft C-45 Expeditor
Operator:
Boone County Aviation
Registration:
N2818G
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)
Survivors:
No
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
MSN:
AF-336
YOM:
1953
Location:
Parkersburg-Mid-Ohio Valley (Wood County)
West Virginia
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
4
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Captain / Total flying hours:
6500
Captain / Total hours on type:
151.00
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff from Parkersburg-Wood County Airport, while climbing, the twin engine aircraft went out of control and crashed in flames in a field. The airplane was destroyed and all five occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the pilot suffered a heart attack and lost control of the airplane.
Final Report:

Crash of a Beechcraft E18S in Bridgeport: 4 killed

Date & Time: Mar 10, 1965 at 0821 LT
Type of aircraft:
Beechcraft E18
Operator:
Hope Natural Gas Company
Registration:
N844K
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Executive/Corporate/Business
Survivors:
No
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
MSN:
BA-207
YOM:
1956
Location:
Bridgeport
West Virginia
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Captain / Total flying hours:
9042
Captain / Total hours on type:
1069.00
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff from Bridgeport Airport, while climbing in heavy snow falls, the twin engine airplane went out of control and crashed in a huge explosion in a snow covered field. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all four occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
The exact cause of the accident could not be determined with certainty. However, it is reported the accident occurred in very bad weather conditions with snowstorm. With icing conditions including sleet, freezing rain, etc, the weather conditions were conducive to carburetor/induction system icing.
Final Report:

Crash of an Aero Commander 560 in Bruceton Mills: 1 killed

Date & Time: Jan 3, 1964 at 0600 LT
Type of aircraft:
Rockwell Aero Commander 560
Operator:
Registration:
N8239D
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Private
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Location:
Bruceton Mills
West Virginia
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Captain / Total flying hours:
8879
Captain / Total hours on type:
1650.00
Circumstances:
In flight, the twin engine aircraft started and uncontrolled descent and crashed in flames in a prairie located in Bruceton Mills, West Virginia. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.
Probable cause:
The pilot lost control of the aircraft after he suffered a heart attack.
Final Report:

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-90-DL in Morgantown: 1 killed

Date & Time: Nov 29, 1963 at 1110 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
N386T
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Delivery
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Lafayette – Morgantown
MSN:
20411
YOM:
1944
Location:
Morgantown
West Virginia
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Captain / Total flying hours:
23553
Captain / Total hours on type:
3899.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
966
Copilot / Total hours on type:
207
Aircraft flight hours:
12241
Circumstances:
A Purdue Aeronautics Corporation, Douglas DC-3, N386T crashed while making an instrument approach to the Morgantown Municipal Airport, Morgantown, West Virginia. The accident occurred 2.5 nautical miles from the Morgantown VOR on the 340 degrees radial at 1110 c.s.t. 1 November 29, 1963. The stewardess was fatally injured in the accident but the captain and first officer escaped with minor injuries. There were no other persons aboard the aircraft. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair by the impact and post impact fire. N386T was being ferried to Morgantown in preparation for a charter flight.
Probable cause:
The Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the pilot's execution of an instrument approach in an aircraft not equipped with navigational instrumentation appropriate to the ground facilities being used.
Final Report:

Crash of a Douglas DC-3S in Bluefield

Date & Time: Apr 12, 1961
Type of aircraft:
Douglas DC-3
Operator:
Registration:
N541S
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Executive/Corporate/Business
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Pittsburgh – Bluefield
MSN:
43192
YOM:
1937
Location:
Bluefield-Mercer County
West Virginia
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The twin engine aircraft was completing a flight from Pittsburgh to Bluefield, carrying a crew of three and one passenger, the vice-president of the United States Steel Corporation. After touchdown, the airplane went out of control, veered off runway and came to rest on an embankment. All four occupants were uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Lockheed L-049E-46 Constellation in Charleston: 2 killed

Date & Time: May 12, 1959 at 1520 LT
Type of aircraft:
Lockheed L-049 Constellation
Operator:
Registration:
N2735A
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Washington DC – Rochester – Buffalo – New York – Pittsburgh – Charleston – Atlanta
MSN:
1978
YOM:
1946
Flight number:
CA983
Location:
Charleston-Yaeger (Kanawha)
West Virginia
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
38
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Captain / Total flying hours:
4966
Captain / Total hours on type:
408.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
2321
Copilot / Total hours on type:
822
Aircraft flight hours:
29589
Circumstances:
Capital Airlines Flight 983 of May 12, 1959, a Constellation model L-049, N 2735A, following a landing at 1529 e.s.t., on a wet runway, was intentionally ground looped and during the maneuver skidded and slid down a steep embankment beyond the boundary of the airport at Charleston, West Virginia. One of the 38 passengers and one of the six crew members died in the fire which followed; one passenger was seriously burned amd all others on board the aircraft escaped with little or no injury; the aircraft was destroyed. The aircraft was landed within the first third of the runway and the captain said that finding braking to be ineffective, he chose to ground loop the aircraft rather than risk going down a sharp declivity at the far end of the runway. The aircraft left the runway about 600 feet from the far end. Investigation revealed operational deficiencies in the conduct of the approach and touchdown, and that crew coordination throughout the emergency was poor. Because of crew statements, the brakes were believed to have been capable of functioning in a normal manner; however, water on the runway would have permitted the aircraft to aquaplane and thus make them ineffective.
Probable cause:
The Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the pilot's action of landing the aircraft too fast on the wet runway under conditions conducive to aquaplaning, making early deceleration impossible. An additional factor was the poor coordination of the crew throughout the approach and landing.
Final Report:

Crash of a Douglas C-53B in Martinsburg: 1 killed

Date & Time: Jun 4, 1958 at 1358 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-53 Skytrooper (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
N49553
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Training
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Washington DC – Martinsburg
MSN:
4820
YOM:
1941
Flight number:
CA003
Location:
Martinsburg-Eastern West Virginia-Shepherd Field
West Virginia
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Captain / Total flying hours:
5625
Captain / Total hours on type:
1600.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
3333
Copilot / Total hours on type:
787
Aircraft flight hours:
32396
Circumstances:
A Capital Airlines DC-3 crashed and burned near Martinsburg Airport, Martinsburg, West Virginia, at 1358 on June 4, 1958, injuring the three occupants-an instructor and two pilot-trainees. One trainee, who was flying the aircraft at the time of the accident, died the following day of severe burns. The aircraft was on a training flight from Washington National Airport and was practising takeoffs and landings at Martinsburg Airport. During the pilot's attempt to climb out after abandoning a single-engine approach to runway 8, the aircraft stalled and crashed in a wooded area. A crew member was killed while two other occupants were injured.
Probable cause:
The Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was that, following the trainee-pilot's failure to maintain minimum-control speed during an attempted go-arounds the instructor-pilot failed to take control of the aircraft in sufficient time to prevent a critical loss of altitude. A contributing factor was the malfunction of the landing gear latch which delayed retraction of the landing gear and caused the distraction of the instructor-pilot for several seconds during a critical period of the go-around.
Final Report:

Crash of a Beechcraft AT-11-BH Kansan near Centralia

Date & Time: Nov 2, 1952
Type of aircraft:
Beechcraft AT-11 Kansan
Operator:
Registration:
41-9540
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Mountains
MSN:
966
YOM:
1942
Location:
Centralia
West Virginia
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
En route, the crew encountered an unexpected situation, decided to bail out and abandoned the aircraft that dove into the ground and crashed in a mountainous and uninhabited area located six miles east of Centralia. Both pilots were unhurt while the aircraft was destroyed.
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