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Crash of a Lockheed 9D Orion in Pine Bluffs

Date & Time: Sep 30, 1941
Type of aircraft:
Lockheed 9 Orion
Operator:
Aircraft Exportation Corporation
Registration:
NC13748
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Positioning
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
MSN:
206
YOM:
1933
Location:
Pine Bluffs
Wyoming
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
For unknown reason, the single engine airplane belly landed at Pine Bluffs Airport and slid for several yards before coming to rest, bursting into flames. The pilot, sole aboard, was uninjured, and the airplane was destroyed by fire.

Crash of a Douglas DC-3A-197 near Knight: 19 killed

Date & Time: Oct 17, 1937 at 2100 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas DC-3
Operator:
Registration:
NC16074
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Newark – Chicago – Cheyenne – Salt Lake City – Los Angeles
MSN:
1914
YOM:
1936
Flight number:
UA001
Location:
Knight
Wyoming
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
16
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
19
Captain / Total flying hours:
11000
Copilot / Total flying hours:
3500
Circumstances:
While cruising at an altitude of 10,000 feet at night and in bad weather conditions, the pilot tried to contact ATC without any success. He could not receive any signal from the regional beacons and decided to continue ahead to Salt Lake City Airport. Few minutes later, in low visibility, the aircraft impacted the slope of Haydens Peak located 81 km east from Salt Lake City and 32 km southwest from Knight. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and all 19 occupants were killed.
Crew:
Earl D. Woodgerd, pilot,
John B. Adams, copilot,
Leah Derr, stewardess.
Passengers:
George Ferreira,
Phyllis Ferreira,
Louis Cleaver,
Ralph McKeown,
John Conroy,
Charles D. Renouf,
W. Pischell,
William Pitt,
J. Percola,
Mrs. C. Pritchett,
D. A. McMillan,
Mrs. J. Hammer,
W. J. Hart,
Charles Jamison,
C. L. Jensen,
Dr. L. Gross.
Probable cause:
It is the opinion of the Investigating Board that the probable cause of this accident was a combination of the following three factors:
- Static conditions encountered in the last portion of the flight which rendered the reception of radio range signals unintelligible,
- The continuation of the flight into mountainous country at an altitude below of higher mountains without the aid of ground visibility or radio signals to definitely identify position,
- A change in the weather caused by the approach of an unpredicted cold front.
Final Report:

Crash of a Lockheed 9D Orion near Buffalo: 1 killed

Date & Time: Oct 24, 1936
Type of aircraft:
Lockheed 9 Orion
Operator:
Registration:
NC13749
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Postal (mail)
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
MSN:
207
YOM:
1933
Location:
Buffalo-Johnson County
Wyoming
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
Circumstances:
While on a mail service, the single engine airplane crashed in a mountainous area located in the region of Buffalo. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

Crash of a Boeing 247D near Cheyenne: 4 killed

Date & Time: Oct 30, 1935 at 1940 LT
Type of aircraft:
Boeing 247
Operator:
Registration:
NC13323
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Test
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Cheyenne - Cheyenne
MSN:
1704
YOM:
1935
Location:
Cheyenne
Wyoming
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
The crew was performing a local test flight out from Cheyenne Airport following modifications on few cockpit instruments. After take off, while climbing in light rain, the captain initiated a relative sharp turn to the right when the aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent, reached a nose-down angle of 70° and crashed on the top of a hill. All four crew members were killed.
Crew:
Marion T. Arnold, pilot,
E. E. Yantis, pilot,
H. A. Kauffman, instrument mechanics,
Hanley G. Cohn, pilot.
Probable cause:
An examination of the wreckage did not indicate any failure or malfunctioning of any part of the airplane or engines. It is reasonable to believe that the windshield was iced sufficiently to obscure forward vision but this would not have hindered the pilot materially as he had a full complement of navigation instruments and presumable had unobstructed vision out either side. It is the opinion of the Accident Board that the probable cause of this accident was poor judgment on the part of the pilot for executing an abrupt maneuver with insufficient altitude for safety and failure of the pilot to maintain proper control of the aircraft during this maneuver.
Final Report:

Crash of a Boeing 247D in Cheyenne: 12 killed

Date & Time: Oct 7, 1935 at 0219 LT
Type of aircraft:
Boeing 247
Operator:
Registration:
NC13317
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Oakland – Salt Lake City – Cheyenne
MSN:
1698
YOM:
1935
Flight number:
UA004
Location:
Cheyenne
Wyoming
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
9
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
12
Circumstances:
Following an uneventful flight from Denver, the crew initiated the approach to Cheyenne Airport. The visibility was poor due to the night and marginal weather conditions. Too low, the airplane impacted the top of a hill, continued for about 300 metres and crashed, bursting into flames. All 12 occupants were killed.
Crew:
H. A. Collison, pilot,
G. E. Batty, copilot,
Miss Leona S. Lason, stewardess.
Passengers:
Vincent Butler,
J. R. Hillman,
J. Cusning,
C. H. Miner,
Helen Warren,
Roy Bane,
C. H. Mathews,
R. H. Renebome,
Carolyn Cathcart.
Probable cause:
Whether or not the pilot was flying entirely on instruments, the question still arises as to why he was flying so close to the ground at the point of first contact with the ground. It is possible that the copilot in giving their position as Silver Crown could have done so having observed that the airplane was approaching Silver Crown. The pilot, hearing this over the interphones, might have taken this literally and started losing altitude factor or sooner than he should have from actual location. Another possibility is that the pilot misread his altimeter and as a consequence was actually flying at a much lower altitude than he believed. An additional 1,000 feet of altitude at the point of the accident would have placed the airplane in suitable position for a normal power glide to the airport for a landing. It is the opinion of the Accident Board that the probable cause of this accident was an error on the part of the pilot in judging his altitude or his distance from the airport, or both.
Final Report:

Crash of a Waco YKC near Glendo: 3 killed

Date & Time: Aug 15, 1935 at 2005 LT
Type of aircraft:
Waco YKC
Operator:
Aero Mayflower Transit Company
Registration:
NC14140
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Helena – Denver
MSN:
4204
YOM:
1934
Location:
Glendo
Wyoming
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
Prior to departure, the pilot was informed about poor weather conditions en route and was instructed to follow the normal route which is longer. The aircraft departed Helena at 1600LT then the pilot failed to follow the instructions and continued through a mountainous region at an altitude of 8,500 feet. Later, while cruising at a height of some 10,000 feet in low visibility due to fog and rain, the single engine aircraft impacted the slope of the Lamario Peak, some 43 miles west of Glendo. The wreckage was found few hours later. All three occupants were killed.
Crew:
Richard A. Arnett, pilot.
Passengers:
Mr. Burnside Smith,
Mrs. Richard Arnott.
Probable cause:
It is the opinion of the Accident Board that the probable cause of this accident was poor judgment on the part of the pilot for attempting to unnecessarily fly over a hazardous route.
Final Report:

Crash of a Boeing 221A Monomail near Glendo: 1 killed

Date & Time: May 27, 1935 at 1605 LT
Type of aircraft:
Boeing 221 Monomail
Operator:
Registration:
NC725W
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Postal (mail)
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Billings – Sheridan – Casper – Cheyenne
MSN:
1153
YOM:
1930
Location:
Glendo
Wyoming
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
Circumstances:
The pilot was performing a mail flight from Billings to Cheyenne with intermediate stops in Sheridan and Casper. While cruising in poor weather conditions, he reduced his altitude to maintain a visual contact with the ground. While following Route 185 to Cheyenne, he failed to realize his altitude was too low when the airplane impacted a hill located 21 kilometers south from Glendo. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.
Crew:
Alva Lucas, pilot.
Probable cause:
It is the opinion of the Accident Board that the probable cause of this accident was an accidental collision with the ground while flying low due to extremely severe local storm conditions.

Final Report:

Crash of a Boeing 40B in Knight: 1 killed

Date & Time: Feb 7, 1932 at 0600 LT
Type of aircraft:
Boeing 40
Operator:
Registration:
NC273
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Cargo
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Salt Lake City – Cheyenne
MSN:
884
YOM:
1927
Location:
Knight
Wyoming
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
Circumstances:
While cruising at night on a mail flight from Salt Lake City to Cheyenne, the pilot encountered poor weather conditions with heavy snow falls. Control was lost and the airplane crashed in a field located 6 miles east of Knight. The pilot Paul 'Red' Andret was killed.

Crash of a De Havilland DH.4B in Egbert: 1 killed

Date & Time: Dec 24, 1923
Type of aircraft:
De Havilland DH.4
Operator:
Registration:
315
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Postal (mail)
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
North Platte – Cheyenne
Location:
Egbert
Wyoming
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
Circumstances:
While on a mail flight from North Platte to Cheyenne, the pilot encountered poor weather conditions when the aircraft crashed in a mountainous area. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.
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