Date & Time:
Jun 4, 1958 at 1358 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-53 Skytrooper (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
N49553
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Training
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Washington DC – Martinsburg
MSN:
4820
YOM:
1941
Flight number:
CA003
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
1
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
1
Captain / Total hours on type:
1600
Copilot / Total hours on type:
787
Aircraft flight hours:
32396
Circumstances:
A Capital Airlines DC-3 crashed and burned near Martinsburg Airport, Martinsburg, West Virginia, at 1358 on June 4, 1958, injuring the three occupants-an instructor and two pilot-trainees. One trainee, who was flying the aircraft at the time of the accident, died the following day of severe burns. The aircraft was on a training flight from Washington National Airport and was practising takeoffs and landings at Martinsburg Airport. During the pilot's attempt to climb out after abandoning a single-engine approach to runway 8, the aircraft stalled and crashed in a wooded area. A crew member was killed while two other occupants were injured.
Probable cause:
The Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was that, following the trainee-pilot's failure to maintain minimum-control speed during an attempted go-arounds the instructor-pilot failed to take control of the aircraft in sufficient time to prevent a critical loss of altitude. A contributing factor was the malfunction of the landing gear latch which delayed retraction of the landing gear and caused the distraction of the instructor-pilot for several seconds during a critical period of the go-around.
Final Report:
N49553.pdf871.89 KB
