Postal (mail) | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

The pilot departed Khabarovsk on a mail flight to Komsomolsk-on-Amur with an intermediate stop in Troitskoye. On the second leg, he encountered unfavorable winds and attempted an emergency landing when the airplane crashed in a swampy area. As the airplane failed to arrive at destination, SAR operations were initiated but eventually suspended few days later as no trace of the aircraft was found. On 13 April 1938, the wreckage was found by hunters some 52 km from the Khungari River estuary.

Probable cause:

It is believed that the pilot encountered unfavorable winds and attempted an emergency landing when the airplane crash landed in a swampy area. The pilot apparently survived the accident but it is possible that he was killed by hunters.

Crash of a Caudron C.630 Simoun in Tours: 1 killed

Date & Time: Dec 4, 1935

Type of aircraft:

Caudron C.630/C.635 Simoun

Operator:

Registration:

F-ANRK

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Postal (mail)

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Le Havre - Paris - Tours - Bordeaux

MSN:

7013.9

YOM:

1935

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

On approach to the airport of Tours-Parçay-Meslay, the pilot failed to realize his altitude was insufficient. On final, the airplane impacted a tree with its right wing and crashed in a garden located short of runway. The pilot was killed and the telegraphist was injured.
Crew:
Georges Tixier, pilot, †
Victor Beaufol, telegraphist.

Probable cause:

The attention of the pilot was focused by the presence of several aircraft at Tours Airport and he failed to realize that he was completing the approach at a too low altitude.

Crash of a Stinson Model A in Pittsburgh

Date & Time: Nov 16, 1935 at 0120 LT

Type of aircraft:

Stinson Model A

Operator:

Registration:

NC15107

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Postal (mail)

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

MSN:

9107

YOM:

1935

Location:

Pittsburgh-Allegheny County

Pennsylvania

Country:

United States of America

Region:

North America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew was performing a night mail flight with one passenger on board. After take off from Pittsburgh-Allegheny County airport, while climbing to a height of 50 feet, the front (central) engine failed. Few seconds later, both other engines (left and right) failed as well. The crew decided to make an emergency landing in an open field. Upon landing, the aircraft slid for several yards before coming to rest. All three occupants evacuated safely and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Probable cause:

A check on the tank four days previously had revealed no water and it appears that fuel taken from the service truck tank at 9 30 p.m. on the night of the accident was free of water. However, shortly before the accident it was refilled with fuel from the storage tank into which rain water and seeped and this was subsequently pumped into the fuel tanks of the aircraft without the presence of the water being detected. It is the opinion of the bureau of Air Commerce that the probable cause of this accident was an abnormal amount of water in the fuel tanks of the aircraft to accidental entry of water into an underground fuel storage tank as a result of a strained fitting.

Crash of a Latécoère 28-1 near Istres: 3 killed

Date & Time: Nov 11, 1935

Type of aircraft:

Latécoère 28

Operator:

Registration:

F-AJPB

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Postal (mail)

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Marseille - Barcelona

MSN:

926

YOM:

1930

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The aircraft was engaged in a mail flight from Marseille to Barcelona, carrying three crew members and mail. Prior to departure from Marseille, the crew was instructed to make an intermediate stop at Lézignan-Corbières Airport to pick other mail bags. Few minutes after takeoff, while cruising south of Istres, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with thunderstorm activity and turbulences. Control was lost and the airplane crashed in an open field. All three crew members were killed.
Crew:
Pierre Lemoine, pilot,
Marcel Lhuillier, copilot,
Louis Gauthe, radio navigator.

Crash of a Latécoère 28-1 off Aracaju: 4 killed

Date & Time: Nov 2, 1935

Type of aircraft:

Latécoère 28

Operator:

Registration:

F-AJIQ

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Postal (mail)

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Santiago de Chile – Buenos Aires – Rio de Janeiro – Salvador – Natal – Dakar – Paris

MSN:

906

YOM:

1929

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

After departure from Salvador de Bahia, the crew confirmed by radio that all was going well on board. Few dozen minutes later, while cruising off Aracaju, the single engine aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances into the sea. A day later, SAR teams found some debris floating on water as well as four dead bodies.
Crew:
André Depecker, pilot,
Joseph Le Duigou, radio navigator,
Auguste Morel, flight engineer,
Fernand Clavere, navigator.

Crash of a Stearman 4DM1 in Franconia

Date & Time: Oct 24, 1935 at 1655 LT

Type of aircraft:

Stearman 4

Operator:

Registration:

NC487W

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Lynchburg – Washington DC

MSN:

4035

YOM:

1931

Location:

Franconia

Virginia

Country:

United States of America

Region:

North America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

While on a mail flight from Lynchburg to Washington DC, the pilot encountered unknown technical problems and elected to make an emergency landing. The aircraft impacted a tree and crashed. The pilot was injured and the airplane was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Junkers F.13de in Vännäs

Date & Time: Oct 1, 1935

Type of aircraft:

Junkers F.13

Operator:

AB Flygtrafik

Registration:

SE-AAB

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

714

YOM:

1924

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

While flying in foggy conditions, the single engine aircraft impacted trees and crashed in a hilly and wooded area located in Vännäs, northwest of Umeå. The aircraft was destroyed and the pilot A. Widell was injured.

Crash of a Polikarpov P-5 in Arsen'evo: 1 killed

Date & Time: Sep 27, 1935 at 0340 LT

Type of aircraft:

Polikarpov P-5

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-L1902

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Postal (mail)

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Moscow - Kharkiv

MSN:

9563

YOM:

1935

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

478

Circumstances:

The pilot, sole on board, departed Moscow Airport at 2305LT on September 26, one hour beyond the schedule ETD, on a night mail flight to Kharkiv. While cruising at night between the cities of Tula and Orel, the pilot lost his bearings because the light beacon was not functioning. It was later determined that the light beacons between Tula and Orel were out of service after midnight. After more than four hours of flight, the pilot attempted an emergency landing when he lost control of the airplane that crashed in a field located in Arsen'evo. The aircraft was destroyed and the pilot was killed.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the accident was the consequence of a loss of control while flying at night without sufficient visual cues. The operations cleared the pilot to complete the flight while the light beacons were unserviceable on the leg from Tula to Orel. Also, the pilot was totally inexperienced in night flight which was considered as contributing factors.

Crash of a De Havilland DH.80 Puss Moth in Bombay

Date & Time: Sep 10, 1935

Type of aircraft:

De Havilland DH.80 Puss Moth

Operator:

Registration:

VT-ADN

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Postal (mail)

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Bombay - Karachi

MSN:

2176

YOM:

1931

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Shortly after takeoff from Bombay-Juhu Airport, the single engine airplane crashed. All three occupants were injured.

Crash of a Boeing 247D in Burbank: 3 killed

Date & Time: Sep 1, 1935 at 2307 LT

Type of aircraft:

Boeing 247

Operator:

Registration:

NC13314

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Postal (mail)

Survivors:

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Burbank – Salt Lake City

MSN:

1695

YOM:

1935

Flight number:

WX006

Location:

Burbank

California

Country:

United States of America

Region:

North America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

5000

Circumstances:

Shortly after takeoff from Burbank Airport, while climbing to a height of 1,000 feet in limited visibility due to fog and night, the aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent, collided with power cables and crashed in a field, bursting into flames. All three occupants, two pilots and a stewardess, were killed.

Probable cause:

Several theories have been suggested as the probable cause of this accident. However, to date, no direct evidence has been uncovered which will substantiate any of them. Thus, it is the opinion of the Accident Board that the probable cause of this accident was failure of the pilot to maintain proper control of the aircraft while climbing through fog. It is believed he suffered a spatial disorientation while climbing in low visibility due to poor weather conditions.

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