Douglas DC-2

Operator:

Registration:

NC13789

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

San Francisco – Winslow

MSN:

1299

YOM:

1934

Flight number:

TW008

Location:

Wawona

California

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

6878

Copilot / Total flying hours:

1621

Circumstances:

The airplane departed San Francisco Airport around 1930LT in good weather conditions. Two hours later, weather conditions deteriorated and the crew requested to ATC to divert to Los Angeles. At this time, storm activity and icing conditions were reported by the crew. Two minutes later, the aircraft crashed on Mt Buena Vista located in the Yosemite National Park, near Wawona. SAR operations were quickly initiated but later suspended as no trace of the aircraft nor the nine occupants was found. Walkers found the wreckage on 12 June 1938.
Crew:
John D. Graves, pilot,
Clyde W. Wallace, copilot,
Martha Mae Wilson, stewardess.
Passengers:
Mr. and Mrs. L. B. Walts,
Victor Krause,
Tracy Dirlam,
Mary Louise Dirlam,
N. N. Salisbury.

Probable cause:

According to the US Bureau of Air Commerce, the pilot must have temporarily lost his bearings due to a change in the direction of the wind and a sharp increase in its velocity, unknown to him, leading to confusion as to his position relative to the Fresno radio range course. The subsequent crash occurred in darkness and, apparently, in an area of heavy snowfall. This resulted in a controlled flight into terrain (CFIT).

Crash of a Douglas DC-2-115D on Mt Mozgovishki Chukar: 6 killed

Date & Time: Nov 23, 1937 at 1150 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

SP-ASJ

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Lydda - Athens – Thessaloniki – Sofia – Warsaw

MSN:

1318

YOM:

1934

Location:

Mt Mozgovishki Chukar

Blagoevgrad

Country:

Bulgaria

Region:

Europe

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed Lydda on a flight to Warsaw with intermediate stops in Athens, Thessaloniki and Sofia, carrying three passengers and three crew members. The airplane departed Thessaloniki Airport at 1115LT bound for Sofia. At 1146LT, the radio operator informed ground about his position at an altitude of 3,000 metres and reported poor weather conditions. A last message was recorded four minutes later then communications ceased. As the airplane failed to arrive in Sofia, SAR operations were initiated and more than 2,000 people took part in the operations. The wreckage was found four days later on the south slope of Mt Mozgovishki Chukar, at an altitude of 2,600 metres, some 40 km northeast of Petritch. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and all six occupants were killed.
Crew:
Tadeusz Dmoszynski, pilot,
Marian Vinnik, radio operator,
Rishard Valentukevich, mechanic.

Probable cause:

Controlled flight into terrain.

Crash of a Douglas DC-2-118A near San Luis: 3 killed

Date & Time: Aug 23, 1937

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

NC14298

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Cargo

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Mendoza – Córdoba

MSN:

1370

YOM:

1935

Location:

San Luis

Country:

Argentina

Region:

South America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

While on a cargo flight from Mendoza to Córdoba, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with low visibility due to fog. The aircraft went out of control and crashed in a hilly terrain located 32 km north of San Luis, bursting into flames. All three occupants were killed and the aircraft named 'Santa Elena' was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire.

Crash of a Douglas DC-2-112 in Daytona Beach: 4 killed

Date & Time: Aug 10, 1937 at 0440 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

NC13739

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Schedule:

Chicago – Indianapolis – Louisville – Nashville – Chattanooga – Jacksonville – Daytona Beach – Miami

MSN:

1289

YOM:

1934

Flight number:

EA007

Location:

Daytona Beach

Florida

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Shortly after takeoff at night and in good weather conditions, while in initial climb, the aircraft hit an electric pole with its left wing, stalled and crashed in a wooded area located past the runway end. Two passengers and both pilots were killed while five other occupants were seriously injured.
Crew:
Stuart G. Dietz, pilot, †
Robert R. Road, copilot, †
Bryan W. Merrill, steward.
Passengers:
J. F. Phillpotts, †
Peter Phillpotts.

Probable cause:

With respect to the erection of the poles in question, it does not appear that the Power and Light Company gave formal or informal notification of the fact of their erection prior to, during the course of, or at the completion of their erection, to the operators of the aircraft, the airport authorizations, or to any other governmental authority concerned with the safety of operation of aircraft at the airport, Furthermore, it was established the these poles were not lighted or marked in any manner which would serve to warn the crew of aircraft NC13739 of their presence.
To establish the element of notice, the company claimed that one of its employees, who had investigation the failure in the underground circuit, used the public telephone in the Administration Building of the airport to call his office and report the trouble to his superior and to advise the erection of an overhead line. This call was reported to have been made between 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., August 9, that later, during the installation of the poles and wires, another of its employees used the same telephone, that the men on duty in the airport office should have observed the men at work along the road with their equipment and lights, setting up the poles and stringing the wire, and also that the air lines using the airport know from previous occasions that, as a temporary measure, such poles had been set up to give service to customers. It appears from the Board investigation that the condition and functioning of the aircraft and its power plant were normal, and that the take-off likewise was normal. Its is the opinion of the Board that the probable cause of this accident was the absence of reasonable notice to those operating and navigating the aircraft that an object had been erected which constituted a hazard to the aircraft taking off.

Final Report:

Crash of a Douglas DC-2-152 in Bistriţa: 6 killed

Date & Time: Aug 6, 1937

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

URSS-M25

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Bucharest – Moscow

MSN:

1413

YOM:

1935

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

En route from Bucharest to Moscow, the aircraft suffered an in-flight fire that quickly spread in the cabin. Control was lost and the airplane crashed in an open field located near Bistriţa, Transylvania. All six occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

It is believed that a passenger lit a cigarette in the rear toilets where fuel vapors accumulated, causing a sudden and violent fire.

Crash of a Douglas DC-2-115L in Brussels: 15 killed

Date & Time: Jul 28, 1937 at 1040 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

PH-ALF

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Amsterdam – Brussels – Paris

MSN:

1585

YOM:

1936

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Less than five minutes after takeoff from Brussels-Haren Airport, while climbing to a height of 1,200 feet, the aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed in a wheat field located 300 metres from Brages' station, bursting into flames. The airplane named 'Flamingo' was totally destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and all 15 occupants were killed.
Crew:
Cornelius Theo Regnerus Steensma, pilot,
Bernardus Ludekuize, radio navigator,
Gerardus Geering, engineer,
Martha Johanna van der Laan, stewardess.
Passengers:
A. Bloem,
W. Canton,
M. Goldbloom,
B. F. Mun,
N. Nathans,
C. Tondreau,
R. Tondreau-Tollenaere,
R. Trillo,
F. Wetzlar,
H. Wapperom,
G. Whitehouse.

Probable cause:

A fire erupted in the cabin shortly after take off for unknown reasons. Investigations were unable to determine the exact cause of the accident.

Crash of a Douglas DC-2-112 in Pittsburgh: 13 killed

Date & Time: Mar 25, 1937 at 1840 LT

Type of aircraft:

Landing (descent or approach)

Operator:

Registration:

NC13730

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Pittsburgh-Allegheny County

Schedule:

Newark – Camden – Pittsburgh – Chicago

MSN:

1256

YOM:

1934

Flight number:

TW015A

Location:

Pennsylvania

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

On final approach to Pittsburgh-Allegheny County Airport, at a height of 500 feet, the aircraft rolled to the left, entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed short of runway. All 13 occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

It was determined by the US Bureau of Air Commerce that ice had built up on its wings and in the slot between the edge of its ailerons and the wing tips, and that the latter condition must have changed the airfoil contour and disrupted the flow of air around the structure, leading to a loss of control. Soon after this accident, improved deicing equipment was announced to help deal with the threat to aircraft caused by the build up of ice.

Crash of a Douglas DC-2-112 in Atlanta

Date & Time: Feb 18, 1937

Type of aircraft:

Landing (descent or approach)

Operator:

Registration:

NC13734

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Atlanta-William Berry Hartsfield

Schedule:

Chicago – Atlanta – Miami

MSN:

1260

YOM:

1934

Location:

Georgia

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

After landing at Atlanta Airport, the airplane went out of control, veered off runway and came to rest against an embankment. All 10 occupants evacuated safely and the airplane was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Douglas DC-2-118A in Chengdu

Date & Time: Dec 25, 1936

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

Flight Phase:

Flight Type: