Illinois

Difficulty was first encountered in the vicinity of Goshen, Indiana, approximately 100 miles from Chicago, when the oil pressure on the left engine raised to 90 lbs. and then gradually dropped to below 50 lbs. As the altitude at this time was about 3000 feet, the pilot climbed to 4000 feet on both engines and throttled the left engine back. He continued to climb on up to 4700 feet using the right engine alone. He advised Columbus of his trouble and was given the option of landing at South Bend, Indiana. He elected to proceed on to Chicago, his reasons for this being that direct radio communication with the South Bend airport was impossible and the lighting there was not as good as at Chicago. The flight continued until within the vicinity of Chicago Municipal Airport, with the right propeller in high pitch, the left engine stopped and the left gasoline valve shut off to save fuel. At this time, Pilot Smith requested and obtained clearance from the control tower to come into the field. He was granted the right of way over other aircraft. The surface wind over the airport was eight miles per hour. However, due to a recent thunderstorm, it was gusty and at an altitude of 2000 feet, increased to a velocity of 34 miles per hour. In approaching the airport at an elevation of about 2000 feet, using the right engine only, the wing flaps and undercarriage were lowered and the air-speed was reduced to about 80 miles per hour in preparation for landing. The winds above the airport were much stronger than the pilot had anticipated and it soon became apparent that the airplane was losing altitude too fast to reach the airport. The pilot attempted to correct this situation by use of the one engine. The effect was to turn the airplane to the left and, due to the reduced air-speed, full control movement proved ineffective against it. Before the speed of the airplane could be increased by Getting the flaps and undercarriage raised and the left engine started, it became evident that it would be impossible to reach the airport and the pilot attempted to head due south and land in an open area. The right wing struck a tree, causing the airplane to collide with a house and then strike the ground. While the aircraft was destroyed, all occupants were injured.

Shortly after takeoff from Chicago Airport, one of the engine caught fire. The pilot attempted an emergency landing when the aircraft crash landed in a field near the airport, bursting into flames. All three occupants evacuated safely while the aircraft was totally destroyed by fire.

The three engine aircraft departed Springfield Airport at 2200LT on a mail flight to New Orleans, carrying one passenger and one pilot. Twenty-six minutes into the flight, while approaching a wooded area, the pilot realized he was too low and initiated a right turn to avoid the trees when the tip of the right wing impacted the ground. The aircraft went out of control and crashed some 6 km northwest of Nilwood. Both occupants were killed.

Crashed in unknown circumstances. There were no casualties.

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.

En route from St Louis to Chicago, while cruising at night, the pilot encountered poor weather conditions with snow falls and icing. He informed his operations that the visibility was about a 1/8 of mile and elected to divert to Springfield Airport for an emergency landing. Shortly later, while flying at a height of about 500 feet, the engine seems to quit then the airplane lost altitude and crashed in a snow covered field. All four occupants were killed, among them the pilot Walter Hallgreen, one of the most experienced pilot in the company.

The airplane departed Chicago Airport at 0954LT on a positioning flight to Kansas City with three crew members on board. Bound to the southwest, the aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed in an open field located near Wedron, bursting into flames. All three occupants were killed.

The aircraft departed Chicago-Palwaukee in the early afternoon to complete a sightseeing tour over the Lake Michigan. While returning to his base, the crew decided to land on Lake Michigan in the harbor of Chicago. Due to strong winds, the lake was rough and the float plane hit violently the water surface. Consequently, the captain decided to abort the landing, increased engine power and elected to divert to Palwaukee Airport in Chicago. Shortly later, while climbing to a height of 600 feet, the aircraft lost its right wing and dove into the ground in a huge explosion. All nine occupants were killed.

En route from Augusta to St Louis, the single engine airplane crashed in unknown circumstances in a field, bursting into flames. All four occupants were killed.

En route from Chicago to Oakland, while cruising over the area of Sterling, west of Chicago, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with heavy rain falls, turbulences and thunderstorm activity. The captain decided to attempt an emergency landing in an open field when, upon touchdown, the airplane went out of control and crashed. All eight occupants evacuated safely.