Douglas DC-2

Operator:

Registration:

NC13732

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Miami – Charleston – Newark

MSN:

1258

YOM:

1934

Flight number:

EA014

Location:

Milford

Pennsylvania

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

While descending to Newark from the west, the aircraft was passing successively 6,000, 4,000 and 2,000 feet. The pilot was unable to localize Camden and was unaware of his real position due to marginal weather conditions. While descending to 1,400 feet, the left wing impacted trees. The aircraft stalled and crashed in a wooded area located on a hill some four miles northeast of Milford. All 11 occupants were rescued and the aircraft was destroyed.

Probable cause:

It is the opinion of the Accident Board that the probable caused of this accident were:
Error on the part of the pilot for attempting to get down under the overcast without first definitely proving his position,
Improper dispatching for clearing the flight into an area of predicted bad weather, particularly when the area cleared through did not permit a safe return, and
Static conditions encountered which rendered reception of the radio range signals over the airplane's range receivers unintelligible.

Crash of a Douglas DC-2-115E in Croydon: 15 killed

Date & Time: Dec 9, 1936 at 1030 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

PH-AKL

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

City

Schedule:

Croydon – Amsterdam – Berlin

MSN:

1358

YOM:

1935

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airport of Croydon was shrouded in fog with visibility fluctuating at around 50 metres and all aircraft were operating under so-called "QBI" (a Q code denoting that all operations have to be performed under instrument flight rules) conditions. Crews were following a white line laid out approximately East-West on the grass surface of Croydon's landing area during their take-off runs (a normal procedure at several airports in the United Kingdom at the time, that had been in use at Croydon since 1931). A number of departures by this method had already been made that day by the time the KLM DC-2 took off, including a Swissair DC-2 about 25 minutes beforehand. The KLM DC-2 named 'Lijster' started its takeoff run along the white line but after about 200 yards (183 m), it veered off the line to the left and on becoming airborne headed south towards rising ground instead of in the normal westerly direction. After flying over the southern boundary of the airport, the aircraft hit the chimney of a house on Hillcrest Road, Purley, then crashed into an empty house on the opposite side of the street. The aircraft, the house and an adjoining house (also empty at the time) were destroyed in the crash and ensuing fire. One passenger and the stewardess survived while all 15 other occupants were killed, among them Admiral Salomon Arvid Achates Lindmann, former Prime Minister of Sweden, and Juan de la Cierva y Cordoniu, the inventor of the Autogyro in 1923 and the vertical takeoff in 1934. At this time, this accident was considered as the worst air crash in the UK in terms of the number of fatalities.
Crew:
Ludwig Hautzmayer, pilot,
Pieter Cornelis van Bemmel Valentijn, radio operator,
Jaap Verkerk, flight engineer,
Hilde Bongertman, stewardess.

Probable cause:

It was determined by the UK Accidents Investigation Branch that the pilot had failed to maintain directional control of the aircraft, and also demonstrated ‘poor judgement’ in not throttling down the engines and abandoning the take-off after it had departed the runway.

Crash of a Douglas DC-2-118B in San José Pinula: 3 killed

Date & Time: Oct 11, 1936

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

NC14273

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Postal (mail)

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

San Salvador – Guatemala City

MSN:

1306

YOM:

1934

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

While descending to La Aurora Airport in Guatemala City, while on a mail flight from San Salvador-Comalapa, the crew failed to realize his altitude was insufficient when the airplane impacted the slope of a mountain located near San José Pinula, about 13 km southeast of La Aurora the airport. All three crew members were killed.
Crew:
A. Paschal, pilot,
Al Palmer, copilot,
J. P. Neyman, radio navigator.

Crash of a Douglas DC-2-172 in Chicago

Date & Time: May 31, 1936 at 2104 LT

Type of aircraft:

Landing (descent or approach)

Operator:

Registration:

NC14979

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Site:

Schedule:

Newark – Chicago

MSN:

1409

YOM:

1935

Flight number:

TW009

Location:

Chicago-Midway

Illinois

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

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.

Probable cause:

It is the opinion of the Bureau of Air Commerce that the probable cause of this accident was poor judgment on the part of the pilot for not having started the left engine prior to his approach for a landing so that it could have been used in case of emergency and also for reducing the air-speed of the airplane below a safe minimum for single engine performance. Contributory causes were the indicated drop in oil pressure, cause undetermined, and the unexpected strong winds of unknown velocity to the pilot, which he encountered while landing.

Final Report:

Crash of a Douglas DC-2-115K in Doornspijk

Date & Time: Apr 20, 1936 at 2010 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

OK-AIA

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Prague – Amsterdam

MSN:

1581

YOM:

1936

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

This was the inaugural flight from Prague to Amsterdam for the Czech Company CLS. On approach to Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport, the captain was unable to locate the airfield due to low visibility caused by night and a cloudy sky (clouds down to 50 metres and visibility estimated to 2-4 km). He decided to follow a holding pattern over the area between Lelystad and Zwolle when few minutes later, radio communications were lost because the accumulator failed. Without radio contact, unable to fix his exact position and with low fuel reserve, the captain eventually decided to attempt an emergency landing in a wheat field located in Doornspijk, near Elburg. Upon touchdown, the aircraft rolled for few dozen metres, lost its right engine, nosed down and came to rest. The pilot and the radio operator were injured while all 10 other occupants evacuated safely. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Probable cause:

The crew lost his orientation after the radio became out of order because the accumulator failed. The crew was unable to locate the airport due to poor visibility caused by night and low clouds. Eventually, low fuel reserve forced the crew to attempt an emergency landing.

Crash of a Douglas DC-2-112 in Fairchance: 12 killed

Date & Time: Apr 7, 1936 at 1020 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

NC13721

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Newark – Philadelphia – Pittsburgh – Kansas City – Los Angeles

MSN:

1247

YOM:

1934

Flight number:

TW001

Location:

Fairchance

Pennsylvania

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew initiated the descent to Pittsburgh-Allegheny County from the southeast in poor weather conditions. While descending to the altitude of 3,800 feet south of Uniontown, the aircraft impacted the slope of Mt Chestnut Ridge located 5 km from Fairchance. A stewardess and a passenger were seriously injured while 12 other occupants were killed.
Crew:
Otto Ferguson, pilot, †
Harry C. Lewis, copilot, †
Nelly H. Granger, stewardess.
Passengers:
Donald D. August,
S. W. Bayersdorfer, †
C. G. Challinor, †
C. R. d'Arcy, †
Robert Evans, †
Frank Hardiman, †
George W. Hefferman, †
Crawford T. Kelly, †
John O'Neill, †
Charles H. Smith, †
M. C. Ellenstein.

Probable cause:

Blamed for the accident was poor judgement on the part of the pilot-in-command for flying by reference to the ground after having descended through the overcast and over the hazardous terrain without determining his position. His failure to follow the radio range course while operating in IMC violated both his company’s and US Department of Commerce’s regulations. An additional factor was that NC13721 had encountered crosswind drift, and at the time of impact had been about 15 NM south of the intended track, its crew apparently unaware of the discrepancy. No evidence was found of any prior mechanical failure in the aircraft or malfunctioning of the ground navigational aids. Subsequent to this crash, the Department of Commerce modified the Pittsburgh radio range, discontinuing the simultaneous voice broadcasts, moved the loop-type radio range beacon from that location to Akron, Ohio, and increased the power at the station located at Buckstown, Pennsylvania.

Final Report:

Crash of a Douglas DC-2-115B in Dübendorf

Date & Time: Feb 28, 1936

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

HB-ITI

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Site:

Schedule:

Zurich – Croydon

MSN:

1321

YOM:

1934

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Just after lift off from Dübendorf Airport, the captain Walter Mittelholzer noted the aircraft was unable to gain sufficient altitude as the speed was too low. He decided to land past the runway but the aircraft hit a fence, lost its left main gear and slid for few dozen metres before colliding with trees and coming to rest in an orchard. The captain, the radio navigator and two passengers were injured while all four other occupants were unhurt. The aircraft was considered as damaged beyond repair as the right wing was partially torn off and the left wing severely crushed. At the time of the accident, weather conditions were poor with snow falls and icing that probably reduced the aircraft performances upon takeoff.

Crash of a Douglas DC-2-120 in Goodwin: 17 killed

Date & Time: Jan 14, 1936 at 1932 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

NC14274

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Newark – Memphis – Little Rock – Dallas – Los Angeles

MSN:

1307

YOM:

1934

Flight number:

AA001

Location:

Goodwin

Arkansas

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

9400

Circumstances:

While cruising at low altitude and at a speed of 290 km/h in darkness, the aircraft hit tree tops and crashed in a wooded and swampy area located some 4 miles from Goodwin. The aircraft was destroyed and all 17 occupants were killed. While there was no post crash fire, a flash bulb from a photographers camera did ignite gasoline that had spilled. This was the first fatal commercial aircraft accident in the state of Arkansas.
Crew:
Gerald V. Marshall, pilot,
Glenn Freeland, copilot,
Perla Casparini, stewardess.
Passengers:
Charles Altschul,
Mrs. Samuel Horowitz,
Seba Horowitz,
Mrs. B. Horowitz,
W. R. Dyess,
R. H. McNair Jr.,
Frank C. Hart,
J. C. Cahn,
J. S. Gremillion,
W. S. Hardwicke,
A. D. Chernus,
H. W. plato,
Sam Schwartz +1.

Probable cause:

Although the US Bureau of Air Commerce considered the height at which the DC-2 had been flying as a contributing factor, the agency was unable to determine the underlying cause of the accident. Despite the lack of evidence of interference with the pilots, the Bureau subsequently issued a directive that prohibited entry by passengers into the cockpit of US commercial aircraft at any time during a flight. The cause of the crash was never proven, due in part to the fire and the extensive looting of the site by local residents. Another report indicates that only the copilot was in the cockpit at the time and there was thought of a passenger disturbance.

Crash of a Douglas DC-2A-127 off Salt Lake City: 3 killed

Date & Time: Oct 6, 1935

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

NC14285

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Ferry

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

MSN:

1328

YOM:

1934

Location:

Salt Lake City

Utah

Country:

Region: