Date & Time:
Jan 22, 1955
Type of aircraft:
Curtiss C-46 Commando
Operator:
Registration:
N1242N
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Cargo
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Norfolk – Knoxville – Oklahoma City
MSN:
22406
YOM:
1945
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
0
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The crew left Norfolk NAS on a cargo flight to Oklahoma City with an intermediate stop at Knoxville, carrying a load of 12,000 pounds of various goods on behalf of the US Army. As the weather conditions worsened at Knoxville, the crew was diverted to Chattanooga. With a ceiling at 900 feet, the crew continued the approach at an insufficient altitude when the airplane hit trees, lost its left wing and crashed 2,660 feet short of runway. The aircraft was destroyed and both crew members were seriously injured.
Probable cause:
The crew decided to continue the approach below the glide without any visual contact with the ground.
