Albuquerque

The crew was completing a delivery flight from Atlanta to California. While cruising at an altitude of 800 feet, the crew encountered engine problems and elected to make an emergency landing when the airplane crashed near Albuquerque. The flight engineer was seriously injured while both pilots were killed.

En route, both engines failed simultaneously. The crew abandoned the aircraft and bailed out. Without pilot, the aircraft dove into the ground and crashed some 40 km south of Albuquerque. All six crew members were unhurt.

The airplane ground looped upon takeoff and was damaged beyond repair. There were no casualties.
Crew:
David Grinnell.

The airplane was returning to its base at March AFB on a flight from Albuquerque, carrying seven people. While cruising in poor visibility due to fog and rain falls, the airplane impacted the slope of a mountain located about 10 km northeast of Beaumont. The airplane disintegrated on impact and all seven occupants were killed.
Crew:
John E. Overstreet +6.

The airplane was owned by the American writer Laura Ingalls who was at controls at the time of the accident. She was carrying isolationist leaflets for aerial dispersal. On the fuselage was painted the mention 'No A.E.F.', meaning no American Expeditionary Force (in Europe). Upon landing, the airplane lost its right main gear, went out of control and came to rest on its nose, broken in two. The pilot was slightly injured.

Shortly after takeoff, the crew encountered problems with the left engine that suffered severe vibrations and partially failed. At a height of a about 100 feet, the airplane rolled 5° to the left. The captain decided to return to the airport but realized this was impossible. He took the decision to reduce his altitude and to attempt an emergency landing in a field. While contacting the ground, the aircraft slid for few dozen metres before coming to rest. All 11 occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Crew:
Harold Hess, pilot,
Bronson White, copilot,
Olga C. Harbaugh, stewardess.

The airplane departed Albuquerque Airport at 1231LT and climbed to 9,300 feet. While the crew was trying to change the fuel feed to the left auxiliary tank, the left engine failed. Shortly later, the right engine failed as well. The crew reduced his altitude and attempted to make an emergency landing. Unfortunately, the aircraft was cruising over a wooded area. It impacted trees and crashed in a rocky field located some 48 km east from Albuquerque. All 11 occupants were injured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. The failure of the engines was found to be due to the presence of a large amount of water in the 80 octane fuel with which the plane had been serviced at Albuquerque Airport. A check of the fuel storage system at Albuquerque disclosed that on 5,000 gallon underground tank contained about 200 gallons of water. After extensive tests, it was found that with a certain amount of water in the fuel pit, pumping fuel from the underground storage tank would cause water to syphen from the fuel pit into the tank through an air vent running between the two. On the afternoon of the preceding day there had been an unusual amount of rainfall which had flooded the concrete apron and filled the fuel pit with water.

The pilot, sole on board, departed Kansas City on a night mail flight to Albuquerque. While cruising at an altitude of 6,000 feet, the engine caught fire. The pilot Harlan William Hull decided to abandon the aircraft and bailed out. The airplane dove into the ground and crashed near Moriarty, bursting into flames. The pilot was uninjured while the airplane was destroyed.

While on a night flight from Amarillo to Albuquerque, weather conditions deteriorated with thunderstorm activity. The airplane entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed on the the south slope of Mt Mesa, south of Tucumcari. All five occupants were killed.

Few minutes after his departure from Albuquerque Airport, while cruising bound to the west, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with thunderstorm activity, turbulences and lightnings. While cruising between Albuquerque and Gallup, the aircraft named 'City of San Francisco' went out of control and crashed on Mt Taylor (11,305 feet high), some 45 miles west of Albuquerque. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and all eight occupants were killed.
Crew:
J. B. Stowe, Chief pilot by TAT,
E. A. Dietel, copilot,
C. F. Canfield, courier.
Passengers:
Mrs. Corina Raymond,
A. B. McGaffey,
William Henry Beers,
Harris Livermore,
M. M. Campbell.