Somerset

The airplane was fueled with 140 gallons of fuel before the second of three flight segments. The pilot reported that, while en route on the third segment, a fuel crossfeed light illuminated. He reset the indicator and decided to land the airplane to troubleshoot. He requested to divert to the nearest airport, which was directly beneath the airplane. Subsequently, the right engine lost power, and the autofeather system feathered the right engine propeller. He reduced power on the left engine, lowered the nose, and extended the landing gear while entering the traffic pattern. The pilot indicated that, after the landing gear was extended, the electrical system "failed," and shortly after, the left engine would not respond to power lever inputs. As the flight was on a base leg approach, the airplane was below the intended flightpath to reach the runway. The pilot stated that he pulled "gently on the control wheel"; however, the airplane impacted an embankment and came to rest on airport property, which resulted in substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. Postaccident examination of the engines and airframe revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or abnormalities that would have precluded normal operation. Signatures on the left propeller indicated that the engine was likely producing power at the time of impact; however, actual power settings could not be conclusively determined. Signatures on the right propeller indicated that little or no power was being produced. The quantity of fuel in the airplane's fuel system, as well as the configuration of the fuel system at the time of the accident, could not be determined based on the available evidence. Although the position of the master switch (which includes the battery, generator 1, and generator 2) was found in the OFF position, the airplane had been operating for about 30 minutes when the electrical power was lost; thus, it is likely that the airplane had been operating on battery power throughout the flight. This could have been the result of the pilot's failure to activate, or his inadvertent deactivation of, the generator 1 and 2 switch. If the flight were operating on battery power, it would explain what the pilot described as an electrical system failure after the landing gear extension due to the exhaustion of the airplane's battery. The postaccident examination of the left engine and propeller revealed that the engine was likely producing some power at the time of impact, and an explanation for why the engine reportedly did not respond to the pilot's throttle movements could not be determined. Additionally, given the available evidence, the reason for the loss of power to the right engine could not be determined.

The airplane joined the inbound course for the GPS instrument approach between the intermediate approach fix and the final approach fix, and maintained an altitude about 200 feet below the sector minimum. The last radar return revealed the airplane to be about 3/4 nautical miles beyond the final approach fix, approximately 1,000 feet left of course centerline. An initial tree strike was found about 1 nautical mile before the missed approach point, about 700 feet left of course centerline, at an elevation about 480 feet below the minimum descent altitude. Witnesses reported seeing the airplane flying at a "very low altitude" just prior to its impact with hilly terrain, and also described the sound of the airplane's engines as "really loud" and "a constant roar." Night instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. There was no evidence of mechanical malfunction.

The pilot requested and received clearance to execute the SDF approach, and was instructed to maintain 4,000 feet until established on the approach. Radar data revealed the airplane was never established on the approach, and started to descend before reaching the IAF. The airplane passed the IAF at 2,900 feet, and continued in a descending left hand turn into unprotected airspace. The airplane disappeared from radar at 1,900 feet, as it completed 180 degrees of turn. The turn did not match any of the four instrument approaches to the airport. The airplane struck a guy wire on a lighted communications antenna 3.3 MN southeast of the airport on a heading of 360 degrees. No evidence of a mechanical failure or malfunction of the airplane or its systems was found. A flight check by the FAA confirmed no navigation signal was received for the approach, which had been turned off and listed as out of service for over 4 years. In addition, the pilot did not report the lack of a navigation signal to ATC or execute a missed approach. Interviews disclosed the ATC controller failed to verify the approach was in service before issuing the approach clearance.

While approaching LaGuardia Airport in poor weather conditions (low ceiling and fog), both engines failed. The pilot lost control of the airplane that crashed at Pelham Bay Park, Bronx, about five miles north of the airport. A passenger was seriously injured while seven other occupants were killed.

Aircraft NC 22077 departed from Providence, Rhode Island, for White Plains, New York, at about 0730 March 19, 1948. The aircraft carried the pilot, Herman F. Burlingame III, his wife Ruth L. Burlingame, their infant daughter Kathleen, and George H. Armitage, as well as four Chow dogs and personal baggage. Arriving at Westchester Airport, White Plains, one hour and 20 minutes later, aircraft NC22077 was serviced with 118 gallons of fuel. At 0935 the aircraft departed from White Plains, the pilot telling airport officials that he intended to fly either to Hadley Field, New Brunswick, New Jersey, or Solberg-Hunterdon Airport, White House, New Jersey. Two hours and 31 minutes later the aircraft returned to White Plains, Mr. Burlingame telling airport officials that he had not landed at either of the alternative destinations. The aircraft was parked for the night, after being serviced with 85 gallons of fuel. The following morning, March 20, 1948, at 0550 the flight departed from White Plains for St. Louis, Missouri. The aircraft carried an additional four persons who had joined the original group at White Plains. The take-off weight could not be precisely determined, but it was close to the maximum allowable. No flight plan was filed with CAA Airways Traffic Control, and though NC22077 was equipped with two-way radio, no transmissions were received from the flight after its departure from White Plains. Consequently the exact route over which the flight proceeded is not known. Shortly after 0800, witnesses in the vicinity of the west portal of the Laurel Hill Tunnel of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, approximately 45 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, observed an aircraft flying at a low altitude on a northwesterly heading. It was flying in and out of low-hanging cloud fringes, and therefore, was not continuously visible. However, the aircraft was observed to approach the tunnel, circle in front of the portal, and then disappear into the overcast. After losing sight of the aircraft, some of the witnesses stated that they heard a surge of engine power, followed by the sound of a crash. Others, more distant, noticed that sound from the aircraft ceased abruptly. Since no other aircraft was observed in the vicinity at that time, there is no doubt but what it was NC22077 that these witnesses saw.