Crash of a Douglas SC-47 at Elmendorf AFB: 13 killed

Date & Time: Sep 9, 1958
Operator:
Registration:
43-15345
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Elmendorf – Eielson
MSN:
19811
YOM:
1944
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
18
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
13
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff from Elmendorf AFB, while in initial climb, the airplane stalled and crashed in flames. Seven passengers were rescued while 13 other occupants were killed. It is believed the accident was the consequence of an engine failure shortly after rotation.

Crash of a Boeing B-52D-40-BW Stratofortress in Fairchild AFB: 5 killed

Date & Time: Sep 8, 1958 at 1920 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
56-0681
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Fairchild - Fairchild
MSN:
464052
YOM:
1956
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The crew was engaged in a local training flight at Spokane AFB, consisting of visual and instruments approaches and landings. While approaching runway 23, at a distance of about three miles from the threshold, the crew cancelled his instruments approach to continue on visual mode. In the mean time, the second B-52 registered 56-0661 which was on second position must switch from visual mode to instruments approach procedures. To follow the approach procedures and as both crews were not coordinated, the approach controller instructed the first crew to gain altitude while turning to the right and instructed the second crew to reduce his altitude while turning to the left. Few seconds later, at an altitude of 900 feet, both aircraft collided and crashed. On board 56-0681, five crew members were killed while two others were seriously injured. On board 56-0661, only one crew survived, all eight others have been killed.
Probable cause:
The collision was the result of the approach procedures not being followed by the crew. The two bombers were practicing landing and takeoff maneuvers that included using instrument rules for parts of their flights and visual rules for other parts. The B-52 closer to the runway had just switched off its instrument maneuvers the B-52 farther away had not yet switched on its instruments. The control tower didn’t pick up the more distant B-52 until it was about three miles from the runway, when the closer bomber was on its final approach. The tower ordered the first plane to go up and to the right – a standard breakaway maneuver – while the closer one should have followed procedures to go down and to the left, to land. Instead, both planes pulled up and to the right, and into each other. Investigations were unable to determine the reason why the crew failed to follow the standard procedures and ATC instructions.

Crash of a Boeing B-52D-30-BW Stratofortress in Fairchild AFB: 8 killed

Date & Time: Sep 8, 1958 at 1920 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
56-0661
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Fairchild - Fairchild
MSN:
464033
YOM:
1956
Crew on board:
9
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
8
Circumstances:
The crew was engaged in a local training flight at Spokane AFB, consisting of visual and instruments approaches and landings. While approaching runway 23, at a distance of about three miles from the threshold, the crew switched from visual mode to instruments. In the mean time, another B-52 registered 56-0681 which was on first position must switch from instruments to visual mode. To follow the approach procedures and as both crews were not coordinated, the approach controller instructed the first crew to gain altitude while turning to the right and instructed the second crew to reduce his altitude while turning to the left. Few seconds later, at an altitude of 900 feet, both aircraft collided and crashed. On board 56-0681, five crew members were killed while two others were seriously injured. On board 56-0661, only one crew survived, all eight others have been killed.
Probable cause:
The collision was the result of the approach procedures not being followed by the crew. The two bombers were practicing landing and takeoff maneuvers that included using instrument rules for parts of their flights and visual rules for other parts. The B-52 closer to the runway had just switched off its instrument maneuvers the B-52 farther away had not yet switched on its instruments. The control tower didn’t pick up the more distant B-52 until it was about three miles from the runway, when the closer bomber was on its final approach. The tower ordered the first plane to go up and to the right – a standard breakaway maneuver – while the closer one should have followed procedures to go down and to the left, to land. Instead, both planes pulled up and to the right, and into each other. Investigations were unable to determine the reason why the crew failed to follow the standard procedures and ATC instructions.

Crash of a Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina in Pozo: 2 killed

Date & Time: Sep 8, 1958
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Location:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
The crew was engaged in a fire fighting mission in the region of Pozo (16 miles east of San Luis Obispo) when the tanker crashed in unknown circumstances. Both pilots were killed.
Crew:
Arnel James Talbot Jr.,
Stuart Ashburn Kilgour.

Crash of a Douglas DC-6B in Minneapolis

Date & Time: Aug 28, 1958 at 0329 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
N575
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Washington DC – Pittsburgh – Cleveland – Detroit – Milwaukee – Minneapolis – Portland – Seattle
MSN:
45200
YOM:
1957
Flight number:
NW537
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
58
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
12376
Captain / Total hours on type:
572.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
9089
Copilot / Total hours on type:
148
Aircraft flight hours:
4471
Circumstances:
At approximately 0329LT, the airplane crashed on takeoff from Wold-Chamberlain Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota. A number of the 62 persons (including 2 infants) aboard suffered serious injuries but there were no fatalities. Fire, which broke out a short time after all occupants were evacuated, consumed the aircraft. The aircraft took off normally and climbed to a height of about 100 feet. It then gradually nosed over and entered a descent which continued until it struck the ground. Sky conditions were clear; however, the prevailing visibility was about three miles in fog, and in localized areas around the airport it was reduced to lens than a mile by patches of denser fog. Takeoff was made on runway 22 and the climbout was a from a lighted, built-up section toward an open, unlighted area. The Board believes that the pilot while trying to remain contact in reduced visibility allowed the nose of the aircraft to drop when flaps were retracted because of inattention to flight instruments. The darkness and reduced visibility during climbout contributed to a sensory illusion which completely obscured the fact of descent from the pilot.
Probable cause:
The Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the pilot's inattention to flight instruments during takeoff in conditions of reduced visibility.
Final Report:

Crash of a Grumman G-21A Goose near Anaktuvuk Pass: 3 killed

Date & Time: Aug 25, 1958
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
N720
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Site:
MSN:
B144
YOM:
1945
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
Enroute, the seaplane struck the slope of a mountain located in the Brooks Range, in the region of Anaktuvuk Pass. All three occupants were killed.

Crash of a Grumman G-21A Goose off Eldred Rock: 1 killed

Date & Time: Aug 20, 1958 at 1525 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
N4774C
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Juneau – Haines – Bridget Cove – Juneau
Flight number:
ACA038
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
8
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Captain / Total flying hours:
7500
Captain / Total hours on type:
5000.00
Circumstances:
The aircraft flew into the water of Lynn Canal near Eldred Rock, 65 miles north-northwest of Juneau, Alaska, at approximately 1525LT. Six of the eight passengers and the pilot were seriously injured. One passenger died four days later. The aircraft, an amphibian, descended into the glassy water in cruising configuration from an established cruise altitude of approximately 200 feet. The aircraft received major damage from impact, sank, and was not recovered.
Probable cause:
The Board determines the probable cause of this accident was the failure of the pilot to maintain control of his aircraft at a safe altitude during marginal visual flight conditions. A contributing factor was a glassy surface which caused the pilot to misjudge the height above the water.
Final Report:

Crash of a Convair CV-240-2 in Nantucket: 25 killed

Date & Time: Aug 15, 1958 at 2334 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
N90670
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
LaGuardia – Nantucket
MSN:
90
YOM:
1948
Flight number:
NE258
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
31
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
25
Captain / Total flying hours:
5603
Captain / Total hours on type:
1416.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
614
Copilot / Total hours on type:
132
Aircraft flight hours:
18019
Circumstances:
During a night approach to Nantucket, the aircraft went through an area of fog. The crew decided to continue the approach when the airplane struck the ground, crashed and burned about 1,450 feet short of runway 24. All three crew members and 22 passengers were killed while nine others were injured, some of them seriously.
Probable cause:
The Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the deficient judgment and technique of the pilot during an instrument approach in adverse weather conditions in failing to abandon the approach when a visibility of one-eights mile was reported, and descending to a dangerously low altitude while still a considerable distance from the runway.
Final Report:

Crash of a Lockheed P2V-7LP Neptune in Ontario

Date & Time: Aug 11, 1958
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
140434
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
726-7093
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Lost in a crash landing with VX-6 at Ontario. While taking off for an acceptance check flight at Ontario, a landing gear ski jammed and the aircraft was destroyed while attempting an emergency landing a few minutes later. There were no injuries but the aircraft was destroyed.

Crash of a Lockheed PV-2T Harpoon in Fort Yukon: 1 killed

Date & Time: Aug 9, 1958
Type of aircraft:
Registration:
N7457C
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Aklavik – Fairbanks
MSN:
15-1594
YOM:
1945
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Circumstances:
The twin engine aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances in Fort Yukon. The copilot was killed while the captain was injured.