Ashland

The non-instrument rated pilot took off in overcast weather conditions and flew toward a mountain pass that was obscured in clouds. When the flight failed to arrive at the destination, a search was initiated and the wreckage located in a box canyon on the side of a mountain ridgeline. The aircraft had impacted in a vertical nose down attitude. All four occupants were killed.

The pilot received two weather briefings, one on the evening before the flight, another at 1009 EST, within three hours of the takeoff time. IFR conditions were forecasted at the uncontrolled, destination airport. The pilot filed an IFR flight plan, but did not list an alternate airport. The aircraft departed Boca Raton at 1257 EST. The flight was uneventful en route and all communications were normal. During arrival, the pilot was cleared for a VOR 3 approach to runway 16. The minimum descent altitude (MDS) for the approach was 800 feet MSL (595 feet AGL) and the minimum visibility was one mile. Several witnesses at and near the airport saw or heard the aircraft. They described the aircraft as crossing the airport from the west side to the east. Those who saw it described it to be approximately 150 to 200 feet AGL, in and out of the clouds. Reportedly, the aircraft then circled and crossed the airport again. Subsequently, it struck an 80 feet tree, then impacted the ground in a steep descent. There was no evidence of failure or malfunction of the airframe or powerplant before impact. The aircraft was estimated to be 46 lbs over the max gross weight limit during impact. All eight occupants were killed.

After takeoff from Ashland-Parker Airport, the twin engine airplane encountered difficulties to maintain a positive rate of climb and crashed on a hill. The pilot was killed while four other occupants were injured.

After takeoff from Buffalo Airport, the crew was cleared to climb to 8,000 feet. About an hour into the flight, the airplane went out of control, entered a dive and crashed near Lake Milton, Ohio. The crew was unable to send any distress call. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 13 occupants were killed.

The crew left Memphis at 2110LT for a three hours local training flight. About one hour later, contact was lost and the crew did not report anymore. The next early morning, the wreckage was found in a wooded, rolling terrain located five miles WSW of Ashland, and both crew members were killed. The attitude at impact indicates that, prior to the accident, the aircraft had been in an almost vertical dive and the complete demolition of the structure resulting from impact indicates very high speed. It is apparent, therefore, that the aircraft was not under normal control at the time of impact. During the course of this flight, the pilots were expected to practice recovery from unusual maneuvers similar to those contained in CAA flight checks. While it appears that the unusual attitude of the aircraft at the moment of impact may have resulted from a voluntary maneuver by one of the pilots, recovery from which was not completed, the possibility of loss of control from some other factor not apparent in the investigation cannot be eliminated. The fact that the ballast in the passengers' compartment was unsecured created the possibility of a serious shifting of balance during unusual attitudes. While the maximum possible movement of this ballast would probably not alter the center of gravity beyond approved limits, a sudden shift during an unusual maneuver may have produced a forward movement of the aircraft center of gravity location of almost 12 Inches. Such a change in center of gravity would have had an appreciable effect on "trim", and the resulting change in control forces would obviously have complicated an attempt by the pilot to recover from an unanticipated severe change in attitude. Some laxity must be charged to the company, therefore, for its failure to assure that the condition of the aircraft and its contents was suitable for the flight activity contemplated. As a result of the investigation of this accident, it appears that the aircraft, for reasons not determined, entered an unusual attitude from which recovery was not completed. Recovery in this instance may have been complicated by unsecured ballast or defective instruments, or both.

The twin engine airplane departed Gray Army Airfield in Fort Lewis on a liaison flight to the Sacramento Air Depot, carrying two passengers and one pilot. While cruising at an altitude of 4,000 feet south of Medford, the pilot reported poor weather conditions with freezing rain. Shortly later, the airplane impacted the slope of a mountain located near Pilot Rock, some 15 miles southeast of Ashland. As the airplane failed to arrive at destination, SAR operations were initiated but the wreckage was finally found by a local resident 8 June 1942. All three occupants were killed. At the time of the accident, the visibility was poor due to thick fog with freezing rain and snow falls.
Crew:
1st Lt Raymond A. Stockwell, pilot,
Passengers:
T/Sgt Randolph Jones,
T/Sgt Paul W. Stone.

The pilot Pat Patterson departed Medford on a mail flight to Oakland. En route, he encountered foggy conditions when the aircraft hit the slope of a mountain located near Ashland. The aircraft was destroyed and the pilot was seriously injured. He died from his injuries a week later on December 23.