Douglas C-54 Skymaster

Operator:

Registration:

NC88729

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Miami – Tampa – Atlanta – Washington DC – Newark

MSN:

18396

YOM:

1944

Flight number:

EA564

Location:

Alexandria

Virginia

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

11065

Captain / Total hours on type:

1227.00

Copilot / Total flying hours:

3032

Copilot / Total hours on type:

Aircraft flight hours:

2045

Circumstances:

The four engine aircraft left Atlanta Airport at 2027LT bound for Newark with an intermediate stop in Washington-National Airport. While flying on airway Green 6 at an altitude of 7,000 feet, the crew was informed by ATC that a landing in Washington was not possible due to poor weather conditions and that he should proceed direct to Newark. Two hours later, the crew received new instructions from ATC: as weather conditions improved in Washington, a landing was therefore possible. The crew modified his route and started the descent to the National Airport. Due to low visibility, the first attempt to land was abandoned and the crew completed a go around. On the second approach, while at a height of 200 feet, the aircraft hit the slope of a small hill, bounced, snatched two telephone poles and crashed in flames near Alexandria, about 6 miles southwest of the airport. Quickly on the scene, the rescue teams were able to evacuate all 26 occupants, some of them injured, while the aircraft was destroyed by a post crash fire.

Probable cause:

The Board finds that the probable cause of this accident was the failure of the pilot to maintain flight at or above the minimum safe altitude for an instrument approach to Washington-National Airport.

Crash of a Douglas C-54E-5-DO Skymaster near Stephenville: 39 killed

Date & Time: Oct 3, 1946 at 0503 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

N90904

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

New York – Gander – Shannon – London – Berlin

MSN:

27290

YOM:

1945

Location:

Stephenville

Newfoundland & Labrador

Country:

Canada

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

3926

Captain / Total hours on type:

1561.00

Copilot / Total flying hours:

1707

Copilot / Total hours on type:

805

Aircraft flight hours:

3731

Circumstances:

The four engine aircraft left New York-La Guardia Airport at 1214LT bound for Berlin, Germany, with intermediate stops in Gander, Shannon and London. While descending over Newfoundland, the crew encountered poor weather conditions and was forced to divert to Stephenville-Ernest Harmon Airport where he landed at 1630LT. For operation reasons, the crew should have a 12 hours rest time and the next departure was then scheduled at 0445LT the following morning. By night, the crew started the takeoff roll from runway 07 and after rotation, continued straight ahead when few minutes later, at an altitude of 1,160 feet, the aircraft hit the slope of a mountain and crashed in a dense wooded area located 7 miles northeast of the airfield. The aircraft christened 'Flagship New England' disintegrated on impact and all 39 occupants were killed. At the time of accident, weather conditions were considered as good with a ceiling at 5,000 feet (overcast) and a visibility above 10 miles.
Crew:
William A. Westerfield, pilot,
Robert Beckman Lehr, copilot,
John B. Tierney Jr., navigator,
James M. Barry, radio officer,
Mark Spelar, flight engineer,
Herbert B. Ewing, purser,
Jerome Lewis, navigator,
Margaret Ann Burleigh, stewardess.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the pilot in command continued in a straight ahead direction after rotation instead of turning to the right to avoid the rising terrain. Unfortunately, it was not possible to ascertain the reason why the crew decided to follow such wrong procedure. In conclusion, on the basic of the foregoing, the Board determined that the probable cause of this accident was the action of the pilot in maintaining the direction of takeoff toward higher terrain over which adequate clearance could not be gained.

Final Report:

Crash of a Douglas C-54A-10-DC Skymaster in Washington

Date & Time: Sep 12, 1946 at 1342 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

N91068

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Washington-National - Washington-National

MSN:

10342

YOM:

1944

Location:

Washington-National

Virginia

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

7272

Captain / Total hours on type:

375.00

Copilot / Total flying hours:

1175

Copilot / Total hours on type:

332

Aircraft flight hours:

3598

Circumstances:

The crew was performing a local training flight from Washington-National Airport. Enroute, the engine number four caught fire and the crew was unable to extinguish the fire. The captain informed ATC about his situation and obtained the authorization to return to Washington-National Airport for an emergency landing. On final approach to runway 33, the engine number four separated from the wing. Despite the situation, the crew was able to continue the approach and landed safely. While all four crew members were unhurt, the aircraft was considered as damaged beyond repair due to the severity of the damages that the right wing suffered due to fire.

Probable cause:

The Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the failure in the No. 4 engine of the exhaust valve of the No. 2 cylinder and the exhaust connection of the No. 1 cylinder which resulted in fire in flight. A contributing factor was the inadequacy of the seal between the firewall and nacelle skin and between individual cowl panels which permitted the fire eventually to reach Zone 3 and to become uncontrollable.

Final Report:

Crash of a Douglas C-54D-15-DC Skymaster on Taboga Island: 23 killed

Date & Time: Jun 9, 1946 at 1030 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

43-17231

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

West Palm Beach - Albrook

MSN:

22181

YOM:

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

1335

Captain / Total hours on type:

543.00

Copilot / Total flying hours:

1312

Copilot / Total hours on type:

393

Circumstances:

The crew was performing a flight from West Palm Beach to Albrook AFB, Panama City. Following an uneventful flight, the pilot started the descent from the south when the ATC instructed the crew to maintain a minimum safe altitude of 1,000 feet on approach. The four engine aircraft hit the slope of a shrouded mountain located on Taboga Island, about 15 km south of the airfield. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and all 23 occupants were killed, among them one civilian.
Source: http://www.canalzonestudygroup.com/Issue133.pdf

Probable cause:

It is the opinion of the members of the Investigating Board that the pilot sighted Otoque Island and mistook it for Taboga and that he was in the vicinity of Otoque Island when he gave his estimated position of 15 miles southeast of the field. It is furtherbelieved that when the pilot called the tower and gave his estimated position as 5 miles south of field and at 1,000 feet on instruments that he thought he was past Taboga Island, approaching Albrook Field, and that by dropping down a little he would be contact again. Actually the estimated distance of 10 miles traveled would place him over Taboga from Otoque. The pilot, Captain Lawrence W. Parks, filed an instrument flight plan from Morrison Field, West Palm Beach, to Albrook Field, without holding a currently effective Instrument Pilot Certificate. AAF Form 8 (white) or AAF Form 8A (green) in violation of AAF Regulation 60-16A. The weather on Taboga Island at the time of the crash was reported as a ceiling of approximately 750 feet above sea level, with a visibility of 15 miles. The top 250 feet of Taboga was covered with clouds and the visibility was 1/16 mile with light drizzle.

Crash of a Douglas C-54E-5-DO Skymaster off Amalfi: 30 killed

Date & Time: Jun 1, 1946 at 0740 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

44-9078

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Cairo – Rome

MSN:

27304

YOM:

1944

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

While flying at cruising level off the Italian coast in poor weather conditions and under instrument flight rules, a fire erupted in the cockpit, on the left side of the captain. The crew tried to extinguish the fire but without success. The fire quickly spread and in such conditions, the crew decided to take refuge in the main cabin and helped the rest of the passengers to put their parachute in case they should abandon the aircraft. Unfortunately, this took time as the passengers did not received any preflight instruction about how to use a parachute. Shortly later, the aircraft went out of control and in fire, dove into the sea and crashed into the Gulf of Salerno, off Amalfi. On site, rescuers were able to evacuate eight people who survived: 4 passengers and all 4 crew members that were able to bail out before the crash. Unfortunately, all 30 other occupants were killed and the aircraft disintegrated on impact.

Probable cause:

At the time of the accident, weather conditions were poor but were not considered as a contributory factor. Investigators were unable to determine the exact cause of the fire in the cockpit, maybe following an electrical short-circuit.

Crash of a Douglas C-54A-15-DC Skymaster in Chicago-Midway

Date & Time: May 29, 1946

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

N30065

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Chicago - Chicago

MSN:

10388

YOM:

1944

Location:

Chicago-Midway

Illinois

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew was performing a local training mission consisting of approaches, landings and touch and goes. On final approach, during the last segment, the aircraft was in an excessive rate of descent and hit violently the runway surface. All undercarriage and both wings were sheared off and the aircraft came to rest. All four crew members who were carrying a check flight were injured. The aircraft was written off.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the approach configuration was incorrect with a too high rate of descent (excessive nose down attitude) during the last segment of the flight.

Ground accident of a Douglas C-54G-10-DO Skymaster in Tejgaon AFB

Date & Time: Mar 22, 1946

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

45-0618

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

37071

YOM:

1945

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

While taxiing in poor weather conditions, the aircraft hit an obstacle and came to rest in flames. There were no casualties but the aircraft was destroyed by fire.

Crash of a Douglas C-54A-5-DC Skymaster near Lula

Date & Time: Jan 16, 1946

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

42-72193

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

10298

YOM:

1944

Location:

Madison

Georgia

Country:

Region: