Date & Time:
Jan 22, 1957 at 2133 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas DC-4
Operator:
Registration:
50869
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Miramar – Albuquerque – Detroit
MSN:
10546
YOM:
1945
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
1
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
1
Circumstances:
The aircraft was on its way from Miramar to Detroit, carrying a crew of seven. They made a stop at Albuquerque to carry the body of a USN pilot who was killed in an accident two days earlier. While descending to Willow Run Airport, the pilot briefed his crew about the minimums and confirmed that if runway was not in sight at 800 feet, they will divert to Grosse Isle NAS. The approach was completed in a low visibility due to snow falls and a ceiling at 550 feet when the airplane hit the ground near a pond, lost an engine and crashed in flames in an open field located about two miles short of runway 05. LCDR William E. Sale was killed while six others were injured. The aircraft was destroyed.
Probable cause:
The cause of the accident was attributed to a faulty altimeter reading caused by a frozen moisture drain on the Pitot Static System. As a result, it caused altimeter readings to lag as the plane descended.
