Atlantic City

The aircraft disappeared from radar at approximately 1 mile final on a night ILS runway 13 approach. Radar data indicated that the aircraft completed almost 180° of turn prior to disappearing. The aircraft crashed in a heavily wooded area. No evidence of a preexisting failure on the engines or airframe was found. When the flying history of the pilot was examined, the hours presented on his resume exceeded his log book and his log book hours could not be totally verified. The copilot did not have an instrument rating. The pilot that preceded the accident aircraft on the approach said he experienced moderate turbulence, windshear and that the approach lights were very distracting. The pilot had received a weather briefing which included wind shear and moderate turbulence. All three occupants were killed.

During the takeoff roll witnesses observed the aircraft swerve from left to right with the engine(s) 'missing' or intermittent. The aircraft lifted off and climbed to approximately 50 feet agl and continued across a waterway in a left turn with the landing gear extended. The aircraft pitched up and rolled left wing down into the water. Examination of the engines revealed a cracked coil in the left magneto of the right engine. No other mechanical malfunction/failure could be determined. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

During takeoff ground run, at a speed of 95 knots, the pilot pulled the control wheel back to lift off. The control wheel, according to the pilot, would not go back more than about 2 inches; which is less than half the normal full aft travel. The aircraft reached a speed of about 105 knots and had traveled more than half of the runway length when the pilot aborted the takeoff. The pilot was unable to stop the aircraft on the runway. The aircraft went off the runway and subsequently collided with an occupied car that was on a nearby street. The investigation revealed the left side VOR indicator had loosened from its mounting clamp on the instrument panel and it was laying against the control wheel tube, behind the instrument panel, limiting the control wheel to 2.5 inches of rearward travel. The pilot stated that he removed the control lock before engine start and performed a flight control check before takeoff. All four occupants were injured while on person in the car hit by the aircraft was killed.

While in cruising altitude, one of the engine failed. The pilot lost control of the airplane that stalled and entered a spin. It crashed in a field located near Vineland and exploded on ground. All four occupants were killed.

About 2326LT on December 12, 1976, an Atlantic City Airlines, Inc., De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter (N101AC) operating as Allegheny Commuter Flight 977, crashed about 4,000 feet short of the approach end of runway 19 at Cape May County Airport, New Jersey. The flight was making a VOR approach to runway 23 with a circle to land on runway 19. Of the 10 persons aboard, 4 died of injuries received in the crash. The aircraft was destroyed. About 10 minutes before the accident, according to official observation logs, at Cape May County Airport the sky was obscured with a 400 feet indefinite ceiling; the visibility was 1 mi in fog; and the wind was from 250° at 6 kns. Visibility was 1 mi to the south and west and 1 1/2
mi to the east and north.

Shortly after takeoff, while climbing, the twin engine airplane went out of control, nosed down and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, few miles offshore. The aircraft was lost and all three occupants were killed. At the time of the accident, there were some fog banks along the shore.

The flight departed New York-JFK to carry out training and proficiency check manoeuvres at the National Aviation Facilities Experimental Center (NAFEC) at the Atlantic City Airport. The first captain to receive the proficiency check occupied the left seat. The instructor-pilot occupied the right seat, and a flight engineer occupied the flight engineer's position. The other two captains occupied the flight deck as observers while awaiting their turn at the controls. Flight 5787 landed on runway 13 then requested, and the tower approved, clearance to taxi to the end of the runway, execute a 180 degrees turn, and take off on runway 31. Prior to takeoff, the instructor pilot briefed the captain to expect a simulated engine failure after V1, to execute a three-engine climbout, and to request vectors for a precision ILS approach to runway 13, using the aircraft's flight director system. Take off was initiated at 12:20 and instructor pilot retarded the No. 4 engine to training idle thrust after V1 had been reached. The takeoff was continued and emergency procedures were executed in accordance with the TWA engine failure emergency checklist. The aircraft was leveled off at 1,500 feet and vectored to intercept the ILS course in the vicinity of the outer marker. The No. 4 engine remained in idle thrust and the instructor pilot directed the captain to execute a simulated three-engine ILS approach, and to expect a missed approach at the decision height. The landing gear was extended and after the aircraft passed the outer marker, flaps were placed full down (50deg). The tower cleared TWA 5787 to land. At the decision height, a missed approach was announced. The captain advanced power on engines 1, 2, and 3, and called for "25 Flaps," "Takeoff Power," "Up Gear." However, neither the flaps nor the landing gear moved from their previous positions. The aircraft was accelerated to 130 knots and a missed-approach climb was instituted. Approximately 16 t o 18 seconds after the start of the missed-approach procedure, one of the observer pilots commented, "Oh! Oh! Your hydraulic system's zeroed." At 300 feet agl and an airspeed of 127 knots all hydraulic pumps were shutdown, but power on the no. 4 engine was not restored. Directional control was lost and the aircraft struck the ground in a right-wing low nose down attitude. The Boeing 707 broke up and caught fire.

The crew was completing a local night training flight at Atlantic City Airport. On final approach, the pilot-in-command attempted a go-around when then aircraft lost height and crashed in flames short of runway threshold. All four crew members were seriously injured and the airplane was destroyed. At the time of the accident, both left engines n°1 & 2 were at full power while both right engines n°3 & 4 were at idle power.

En route from Atlantic City to Washington DC, the pilot encountered poor weather conditions. While trying to avoid a storm, he lost control of the airplane that dove into the ground and crashed in a marshy area located about 5 km southeast of Leipsic. The pilot Harold E. McMahon was killed.

After takeoff from Atlantic City Airport, while climbing to a height of 600 feet, the single engine airplane entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed. Two occupants were killed and six others were injured.