Crash of a Cessna 207 Skywagon in Marion: 1 killed

Date & Time: Jan 26, 1973 at 1850 LT
Registration:
N1582U
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Fremont - Marion
MSN:
207-0182
YOM:
1970
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Captain / Total flying hours:
2094
Captain / Total hours on type:
9.00
Circumstances:
While on a VOR approach to Marion Airport, the pilot encountered limited visibility and descended below the MDA when the single engine airplane struck trees and crashed. The pilot was injured while the passenger was killed.
Probable cause:
Improper IFR operation on part of the pilot. The following factors were reported:
- Low ceiling and fog,
- Descended below MDA on VOR approach.
Final Report:

Crash of a Beechcraft H18S in Bloomington: 2 killed

Date & Time: Dec 21, 1972 at 1219 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
N800G
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Saint Louis - Bloomington
MSN:
BA-661
YOM:
1964
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Captain / Total flying hours:
5341
Captain / Total hours on type:
1464.00
Circumstances:
On final approach to Bloomington Airport, the pilot lost control of the airplane that nosed down and crashed in flames few hundred yards short of runway threshold. The twin engine aircraft was destroyed and both occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
The pilot failed to maintain flying speed after suffering physical impairment. The following factors were reported:
- Airframe ice,
- Icing conditions including sleet and freezing rain,
- Carbon monoxide poisoning,
- Fog,
- Known icing conditions,
- Circling approach to land,
- Carbon monoxide level 35% from undetermined source.
Final Report:

Crash of a Convair CV-880-22-2 in Chicago

Date & Time: Dec 20, 1972 at 1800 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
N8807E
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Tampa - Chicago
MSN:
22-00-29
YOM:
1960
Flight number:
DL954
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
86
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
5500
Captain / Total hours on type:
2400.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
3600
Copilot / Total hours on type:
500
Aircraft flight hours:
37640
Circumstances:
Flight DL954 from Tampa landed uneventfully at Chicago-O'Hare Airport. The crew was cleared to taxi to the gate and to cross runway 27L when the airplane was struck by a North Central Airlines Douglas DC-9-31 registered N954N. En route to Duluth via Madison, the DC-9 was carrying 41 passengers and a crew of four and his pilot just received the clearance to take off from runway 27L. One of the DC-9's wing struck the tail of the Convair that stopped immediately. out of control, the DC-9 veered off runway and came to rest in flames. The Convair was damaged beyond repair and the DC-9 was destroyed by a post crash fire. Among the 93 occupants on board the Convair, 10 were injured. Among the 45 occupants on board the DC-9, 10 were killed and 35 were injured, some of them seriously.
Probable cause:
Failure of the air traffic control system to ensure separation of aircraft during a period of restricted visibility. This failure included the following:
- The controller omitted a critical word which made his transmission to the flight crew of the Delta CV-880 ambiguous,
- The controller did not use all the available information to determine the location of the CV-880,
- The CV-880 flight crew did not request clarification of the controller's communications.
Final Report:

Crash of a Douglas DC-9-31 in Chicago: 10 killed

Date & Time: Dec 20, 1972 at 1800 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
N954N
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Chicago – Madison – Duluth
MSN:
47159
YOM:
1967
Flight number:
NC575
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
41
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
10
Captain / Total flying hours:
20261
Captain / Total hours on type:
3455.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
4537
Copilot / Total hours on type:
1601
Aircraft flight hours:
11812
Circumstances:
The crew was cleared to takeoff from runway 27L. During the takeoff roll completed by night and a visibility limited to 250 feet due to fog, the captain called for rotation and the copilot, the pilot-in-command, started the rotation when one of the wing struck the tail of a Delta Airlines Convair CV-880. Registered N8807E, the Convair just landed at O'Hare Airport on flight DL954 from Tampa and its crew was cleared to cross runway 27L to roll to the gate. The collision caused the tail of the Convair to be torn off. Out of control, the DC-9 landed back onto the runway then veered off and came to rest in flames. The Convair was damaged beyond repair and the DC-9 was destroyed by a post crash fire. While 10 people on board the Convair were injured, 10 passengers on board the DC-9 were killed and 35 others were injured, some of them seriously.
Probable cause:
Failure of the air traffic control system to ensure separation of aircraft during a period of restricted visibility. This failure included the following:
- The controller omitted a critical word which made his transmission to the flight crew of the Delta CV-880 ambiguous,
- The controller did not use all the available information to determine the location of the CV-880,
- The CV-880 flight crew did not request clarification of the controller's communications.
Final Report:

Crash of a Boeing 737-222 in Chicago: 45 killed

Date & Time: Dec 8, 1972 at 1428 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
N9031U
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Schedule:
Washington DC - Chicago - Omaha
MSN:
19069/75
YOM:
1968
Flight number:
UA553
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
55
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
45
Captain / Total flying hours:
18000
Captain / Total hours on type:
2435.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
10638
Copilot / Total hours on type:
1676
Aircraft flight hours:
7247
Circumstances:
Flight UA553 departed Washington-National Airport at 1250LT for Omaha with an intermediate stop at Chicago-Midway Airport. Chicago ARTCC cleared the crew to descend to 4000 feet and the flight was given vectors for a Midway Airport runway 31L localizer course. At 14:19 the flight was transferred to Chicago Approach Control which later requested UA553 to slow down to 180 knots and later down to 160 knots. After issuing a descent clearance down to 2000 feet at 14:23 the controller requested the flight to slow down to approach speed because of separation between UA553 and a preceding Aero Commander. At 14:24 the Aero Commander passed the Outer Marker and was cleared to land on runway 31L. Two minutes later UA553 passed the Outer Marker inbound. Then, at 14:27:04 the air traffic controller decided to issue a missed approach clearance: "United 553 execute a missed approach make a left turn to a heading of 180 climb to 2000". At the same time, having just reached 1000 feet, the stick shaker suddenly activated. Full power was applied and the gear was retracted in an attempt to execute a missed approach. The Boeing continued to descend however, attaining a high nose up attitude (of at least 30deg, according to some survivors). The aircraft then clipped a tree and impacted trees, houses, utility pole cables and garages before coming to rest. Post crash fire destroyed part of the fuselage.
Probable cause:
The captain's failure to exercise positive flight management during the execution of a non-precision approach, which culminated in a critical deterioration of airspeed into the stall regime where level flight could no longer be maintained.
Final Report:

Crash of a Rockwell Aero Commander 500A in Pekin: 6 killed

Date & Time: Oct 23, 1972 at 1740 LT
Operator:
Registration:
N78376
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Martinsburg - Peoria
MSN:
500-1275-98
YOM:
1963
Location:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
5
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Captain / Total flying hours:
758
Captain / Total hours on type:
465.00
Circumstances:
The descent to Peoria Airport was initiated by night and marginal weather conditions. On final, the twin engine airplane went out of control and crashed in flames in Pekin, about seven miles southeast of the airport. The aircraft was destroyed by a post crash fire and all six occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Loss of control on approach after the pilot suffered a spatial disorientation. The following factors were reported:
- Low ceiling, rain and fog,
- The pilot was cleared for an ILS approach and was requested to report over the outer marker. The report was not recorded by approach control.
Final Report:

Crash of a Beechcraft AT-11 Kansan in Lansing

Date & Time: Dec 24, 1971 at 1630 LT
Type of aircraft:
Registration:
N588K
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
La Porte - Lansing
MSN:
3261
YOM:
1942
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Following an improper level off, the twin engine airplane crash landed at Lansing Airport, south Chicago, Illinois. Both occupants were uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
The pilot attempted operation with known deficiencies in equipment. The following factors were reported:
- Improper level off,
- Failed to follow the approved procedures,
- Failure of the landing gear: normal retraction/extension assembly,
- Failure of the flaps assemblies,
- Disregard of good operating practice,
- The aircraft was not airworthy,
- The pilot ferried the aircraft without ferry permit,
- The gear and flaps were inoperable,
- Two flight control surfaces were missing.
Final Report:

Crash of an ATECO Westwind II in Peoria: 16 killed

Date & Time: Oct 21, 1971 at 1220 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
N51CS
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Chicago - Peoria
MSN:
BA-211
YOM:
1956
Flight number:
SC804
Location:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
14
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
16
Captain / Total flying hours:
16119
Captain / Total hours on type:
133.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
4690
Copilot / Total hours on type:
43
Aircraft flight hours:
7751
Circumstances:
Chicago & Southern Airlines, Inc., Flight 804, crashed at approximately 1220 central daylight time while it was executing an instrument approach to the Greater Peoria Airport, Peoria, Illinois. The 16 persons on board received fatal injuries. The aircraft made initial contact with powerlines which cross the VOR Runway 12 final of Runway 12 of the Greater Peoria Airport approach course, approximately 2 miles west. Near the point of contact there are two towers, each of which supports four sets of cables. The easterly tower is 681 feet mean sea level. The elevation of the ground at the base of the most contact was made with the lower cables which were 65 feet above ground level. The aircraft thereafter contacted the ground, bounced and slid into the base of a large hedgewood tree 152 feet from the point of initial wire contact, along a wreckage path of 050° magnetic. The major portion of the aircraft structure remained at the base of the tree. An intense fire ensued which almost completely destroyed the cockpit and cabin area of the fuselage. All 16 occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was that the pilot knowingly descended below the Minimum Descent Altitude in an attempt to complete the approach by means of visual reference to ground objects. Because of minimal visibility and low clouds in the approach zone, the aircraft was operated at an altitude too low to provide clearance over the powerlines.
Final Report:

Crash of a Douglas C-9A Nightingale at Scott AFB: 3 killed

Date & Time: Sep 16, 1971
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
67-22586
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Scott - Scott
MSN:
47296/362
YOM:
1968
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
The crew was involved in a local training flight at Scott AFB, Belleville, Illinois. On final approach, the instructor decided to make a go-around and power was added on both engines when the right engine failed. The aircraft stalled, lost height and crashed in flames onto a farm located about 2,600 feet short of runway. The aircraft was destroyed and all three crew members were killed.
Probable cause:
It was determined that a first-stage fan blade on the right engine failed during a go-around manoeuvre.

Crash of a De Havilland DH.104 Dove 6BA in Morris

Date & Time: Apr 16, 1970 at 1210 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
N420D
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Morris - DuPage
MSN:
04414
YOM:
1953
Location:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
11645
Captain / Total hours on type:
234.00
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff from Morris Airport, while in initial climb, the pilot informed ATC about an engine failure and was cleared to return for an emergency landing. On final, the airplane stalled and crashed in a field located short of runway threshold. The aircraft was destroyed and the pilot was seriously injured.
Probable cause:
Powerplant failure for undetermined reason. The following factors were considered as contributing:
- The pilot-in-command failed to follow the approved procedures,
- Improper emergency procedures,
- Complete failure on one engine,
- Propeller not feathered,
- Flaps 20°, landing gear extended.
Final Report: