United Airlines

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Newark – Chicago – Cheyenne – Salt Lake City – Los Angeles

MSN:

1914

YOM:

1936

Flight number:

UA001

Location:

Knight

Wyoming

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

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 Douglas DC-3A-197 off San Francisco: 11 killed

Date & Time: Feb 9, 1937 at 2050 LT

Type of aircraft:

Douglas DC-3

Operator:

Registration:

NC16073

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Los Angeles – San Francisco – Oakland

MSN:

1913

YOM:

1936

Flight number:

UA023

Location:

San Francisco

California

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

On final approach to San Francisco Airport, the aircraft lost 400 feet in few seconds then nosed down and eventually crashed into the bay of San Francisco, some two miles short of runway. All 11 occupants were killed.
Crew:
A. R. Thompson, pilot,
Joe De Cesaro, copilot,
Ruth Kimmel, stewardess.
Passengers:
John A. Orennan Sr.,
Gertrude Orennan,
Mark Fontana,
J. Franklin Gilmore,
Frank Margaroni,
Raker Meyers,
H. D. Friedlander,
Myron Loite.

Probable cause:

It is the opinion of the Accident Board that the probable cause of this accident was accidental jamming of the elevator controls as the result of a microphone being inadvertently dropped and lodging in such a position that the crew was unable to prevent rapid descent of the airplane.

Final Report:

Crash of a Boeing 247D near Newhall: 12 killed

Date & Time: Dec 27, 1936 at 1938 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

NC13355

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Oakland – San Francisco – Burbank

MSN:

1737

YOM:

1933

Flight number:

UA034

Location:

Newhall

California

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

While descending to Burbank Airport in low visibility due to rain falls, the twin engine aircraft hit tree tops and lost its both wings. It continued for a hundred metres then collided with a stony wall and crashed in wooded and hilly terrain near Rice Canyon, two miles southwest of Newhall. All 12 occupants were killed.
Crew:
Edwin W. Blom, pilot,
Robert J. McLean, copilot,
Yvonne Trego, stewardess.
Passengers:
Mr. & Mrs. Edward T. Ford Jr.,
M. P. Harem,
John Korn,
A. L. Markwell,
W. A. Newton,
Alex Novak,
H. S. Teague,
Evelyn Valance.

Probable cause:

It is the opinion of the Accident Board that the probable cause of this accident was an error on the part of the pilot for attempting to fly through the Newhall pass at an altitude lower than the surrounding mountains without first determining by radio the existing weather.

Final Report:

Crash of a Boeing 247D in Newark

Date & Time: Nov 23, 1936

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

NC13319

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

MSN:

1700

YOM:

1933

Location:

Newark

New Jersey

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

On final approach to Newark Airport, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with reduced visibility due to snow falls and fog. On short final, the airplane impacted the ground, crashed and came to rest 500 metres short of runway. All six occupants evacuated safely and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Boeing 247D in Cheyenne: 4 killed

Date & Time: Oct 30, 1935 at 1940 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

NC13323

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Test

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Cheyenne - Cheyenne

MSN:

1704

YOM:

1935

Location:

Cheyenne

Wyoming

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

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.

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.

Crash of a Boeing 247D in Cheyenne: 12 killed

Date & Time: Oct 7, 1935 at 0219 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

NC13317

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Oakland – Salt Lake City – Denver – Cheyenne

MSN:

1698

YOM:

1935

Flight number:

UA004

Location:

Cheyenne

Wyoming

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

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.

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.

Crash of a Boeing 247 in Western Springs

Date & Time: Dec 20, 1934 at 1815 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

NC13328

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Chicago – Omaha

MSN:

1709

YOM:

1933

Location:

Western Springs

Illinois

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Fifteen minutes after takeoff from Chicago, the copilot informed ATC about problems with the right engine and elected to return. Shortly later, the left engine lost power as well and the crew attempted an emergency landing in an open field. On final, the aircraft impacted trees and came to rest in a vertical position against trees, near houses. The stewardess and the passenger (an employee of the operator) were slightly injured while both pilots were seriously injured.

Probable cause:

It is the opinion of the Accident Board that the probable cause of this accident was ice forming in the carburetors of both engines which resulted in loss of power.

Crash of a Boeing 247D near Selleck

Date & Time: Jun 7, 1934

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

NC13302

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Schedule:

Spokane – Wenatchee – Seattle

MSN:

1683

YOM:

1933

Location:

Selleck

Washington

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed Spokane at 1522LT with two passengers and three crew members on board. It landed at Wenatchee-Fancher Field at 1635LT and four additional passengers boarded. On the leg to Seattle, weather conditions worsened and the crew failed to realize his altitude was insufficient when the airplane impacted trees and crashed on the slope of a mountain located 10 km east of Selleck. The aircraft was destroyed and all 9 occupants were injured.
Crew:
Ben Z. Redfield, pilot,
Dwight A. Hansen, copilot,
Marian Bennett, stewardess.
Passengers:
Paul C. Beezley,
Mildred A. Johannesen,
Helen Curran,
Robert C. Clark,
Daisy A. Moony,
Mercedes Boyd.

Probable cause:

Controlled flight into terrain.

Crash of a Boeing 247 in Bethel

Date & Time: May 30, 1934 at 0130 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

NC13334

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Schedule:

Cleveland – Albany – Newark

MSN:

1716

YOM:

1933

Location:

Bethel

Connecticut

Country:

Region: