Hollywood

Aircraft departed Merrill Field at 1110 with 220 gallons of fuel. Two hours later both engines quit while flying at an altitude of 6,500 feet approximately 10 miles offshore. The crew was unable to restart the engines and the aircraft was ditched into 12 to 15 foot waves with a 40 knot surface wind. The right float was torn off and both engine mounts broke. The aircraft sank at 1745 and was not recovered. The aircraft had an annual inspection 4 days prior to the accident. The fueling facilities were checked and found free of water or other contaminants.

About 1721 P.s.t., November 14, 1965, Lear Jet Model 23, N243F, operated as a free transportation flight by the Paul Kelly Flying Service, Inc., crashed shortly after a night takeoff from the Palm Springs Airport at Palm Springs, California. The crash was in the Indio Hills approximately 13 miles east of the airport. The six passengers and two crewmembers were fatally injured. The aircraft was destroyed by impact and fire. The flight, which was to transport the passengers to Burbank, California, was observed to depart Runway 13 in a normal manner, commence a low-angle climbout, and accelerate to a relatively high speed. Shortly after takeoff the pilot called the Thermal, California Flight Service Station. Although station personnel responded immediately, there were no other transmissions from the flight. About this time the aircraft was observed to make a left turn beneath a low cloud base of about 3,000 feet, proceed in a northerly direction and then enter a steep dive from horizontal flight, and crash. All eight occupants were killed.

While in cruising altitude, the aircraft suddenly pitched down, went out of control, dove into the ground and crashed in a cornfield located near Hollywood. The aircraft was destroyed and both crewmen were killed.

The crew started the descent to Hollywood-Burbank Airport at night and in marginal weather conditions (low clouds) when he was instructed by ATC to divert to Los Angeles for a safe ILS approach. While descending in dark conditions, the aircraft impacted the slope of Mt Puente located two miles east of Whittier. The wreckage was found few hours later. All 29 occupants have been killed.

Flight 897R originated at New York, New York, for Long Beach, California, with stops at Chicago, Illinois, Kansas City, Kansas, Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Burbank, California. A crew change was made at Kansas City. Departure from Kansas City was at 2321, July 11, and the flight proceeded through thunderstorm conditions to Albuquerque. Departure from Albuquerque, New Mexico, was at 0424, with 44 passengers, including two infants; 4 crew members, 875 gallons of gasoline, and 60 gallons of oil, and with a visual flight rules clearance. The total weight at time of departure was 39,746 pounds, which was within the certificated gross weight of the aircraft, and all disposable load was properly distributed so that the center of gravity of the aircraft was within the certificated limits. After leaving Albuquerque, considerable turbulence and thunderstorm conditions were encountered before clear weather was entered. At 0722 the flight contacted Riverside, California, INSAC, advised that at 0720 it was over Riverside at 9,000 feet, 500 on top, and requested a top report 2 for the vicinity of Burbank (about 67 miles to the west) which was given as 2,200 feet MSL. 3 The flight then filed an Instrument Flight Rules plan from its position direct to Burbank estimating arrival there at 0740. Clearance was issued by the Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center as follows. "ATC clears N79978 from present position to Simi Intersection direct cruise 500 on top, maintain 500 on top until advised by Burbank Control on 248 Kes., no delay--contact Burbank Approach Control when approaching Burbank." The first radio contact with the Burbank Tower was at 0735, at which time the flight reported its position as west of Riverside, and upon request the latest (0725) Burbank weather observation was given the pilot as "measured ceiling 800 overcast, thin obscurement, visibility two miles, smoke." The tower advised the flight that another aircraft, a Cessna, was then over Chatsworth 4 inbound and that no delay was anticipated. At 0736 the Cessna reported that it was contact and was cleared to land. Immediately N79978 was contacted "cleared to make straight-in approach to the aerodrome, Runway 7, Burbank altimeter three zero zero two, time cheek three six." The pilot acknowledged and advised that his position was "approaching Burbank Range," but did not give his altitude. This was the last radio contact with the flight. No position report was made as actually over Burbank Range. At 0745, a California Central Airlines' DC-3, Flight 81, reported over the Burbank Range, and was directed to hold north-west of Simi, 500 on top, pending the landing of N79978. When N79978 failed to arrive, several calls were initiated to it by the tower but no response was heard. California Central's flight was then requested to search for the aircraft and sighted the burning wreckage about three miles west of the town of Chatsworth, California, in the Santa Susana Mountains at 0800. At that time, 17 minutes after the accident, the weather at the crash site was clear with a former cloud layer rapidly dissipating. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and three crew members and 32 passengers were killed.

Just before reaching Las Vegas, however, a distance of 268 miles from Burbank, Captain Clark stated that his fuel quantity gauges indicated that he had 360 gallons of fuel remaining. Since he believed this to be sufficient to reach destination, he did not land at Las Vegas which was generally used as a fueling stop for Slick Airways. From Las Vegas to Palmdale, lighter winds were encountered resulting in a ground speed averaging 180 miles per hour. Palmdale was flown over at 1025, at which time the aircraft had been in the air a total of 5 hours and 18 minutes. Three minutes after passing over Palmdale, which was clear, the left engine fuel pressure dropped to 3 pounds, the red fuel warning light came on, and the left engine stopped. Fuel selector valves were changed, and as a result power was restored to the left engine. Captain Clark suspected a fuel leak. He inspected the aircraft for visible loss of fuel or fire, found none, and continued on to Burbank. As the flight approached Newhall California, Burbank reported a ceiling of 1,600 feet with visibility of two and one-half miles. The flight was instructed by the Los Angeles Airways Traffic Control Center to hold on the northwest course of the Burbank range, and advised that the approach clearance Into Burbank could be expected at approximately 1052. Captain Clerk informed the Burbank control tower that he was losing fuel and wanted to land as soon as possible, however, he declined to declare an emergency. Shortly after this, the left engine stopped for the second time, but power was again restored by changing the positions of the fuel selector valves. At 1056, approach clearance into Burbank was given, and at 1058, the flight reported inbound over the Chatsworth fan marker, approximately 14 miles from the Lockheed Air Terminal. The ceiling over Burbank had by this time lowered to 1,000 feet, and rain showers had reduced visibility to about one mile. As the flight descended below 1,600 feet only intermittent bursts of power could be secured from the left engine. The “letdown” was continued, the Burbank radio range station and the Lockheed Air Terminal were passed. Upon completion of a right turn to return to the range station the right engine stopped, and the propeller was immediately feathered. At an altitude of 200 to 400 feet, Captain Clark recognized almost immediately underneath him a hangar on the Lockheed Air Terminal. He executed a sharp right turn of approximately 270 degrees, and landed on the north-south taxi way about 400 feet before crossing Runway 7, a distance of approximately 1,900 feet from the south boundary of the airport. Brakes were applied, but the aircraft could not be brought to a stop within the airport boundaries. It came to rest only after skidding across a highway and railroad line adjacent to the south boundary of the airport.

The crew was conducting a test flight after the left engine has been replaced. Few minutes after takeoff, a failure occurred on the 8th cylinder in the left engine and the crew shut off this engine and returned to Hollywood-Lockheed Air Terminal Airport. Due to low visibility caused by foggy conditions, the crew was unable to locate the runway and decided to go around. During the second attempt to land, the captain decided to reduce his altitude to establish a visual contact with the ground when the aircraft hit an eucalyptus and crashed near Lorne Street, North Hollywood. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and all three crew members were killed.