Nebraska

Country:

Region:

Landing (descent or approach)

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

While flying over Nebraska by night at an altitude of 23,000 feet on a flight from Travis AFB to Harrisburg, PA, the aircraft suffered an explosion. It entered a dive and crashed in flames in a field located 5 miles northeast of Palisade. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all five crew members were killed.
Crew:
Maj Harold W. Tabor, pilot,
1st Lt Duane D. Burdette, copilot,
S/Sgt Ira E. Bowers, loadmaster,
M/Sgt Joseph P. Tierney, flight engineer,
T/Sgt James J. Clouse, flight engineer.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the explosion of the airplane was the consequence of the presence of a 11 inches crack located above the left side door that broke away in flight, causing an explosive decompression of the cabin. In such conditions, the crew was unable to maintain control of the airplane.

Crash of a Beechcraft D18S in Grand Island: 2 killed

Date & Time: Jan 29, 1968 at 0006 LT

Type of aircraft:

Beechcraft D18

Operator:

Trojan Airways

Registration:

N277W

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Postal (mail)

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

A-0825

YOM:

1952

Location:

Grand Island

Country:

Region:

Rockwell Aero Commander 680

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

6200

Captain / Total hours on type:

500.00

Circumstances:

While on a night approach to runway 35, the crew encountered low visibility due to low ceiling and fog. On final, the pilot-in-command lost control of the airplane that crashed few miles short of runway. Both occupants were killed and the aircraft was destroyed.

Probable cause:

Loss of control caused by a spatial disorientation. Inadequate maintenance and inspection was a contributing factor.

Final Report:

Crash of a Rockwell Aero Commander 680FL in North Platte

Date & Time: Dec 2, 1967 at 2040 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

N747NT

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Executive/Corporate/Business

Survivors:

Site:

Location:

North Platte

Country:

Region:

Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

1940

Captain / Total hours on type:

10.00

Circumstances:

Shortly after a night takeoff from North Platte-Lee Bird Airport, while in initial climb, both engines failed simultaneously. The pilot informed ground about his situation and decided to return to the airport for an emergency landing. Few second later, he realized he could not make it so he ditched the airplane into lake Maloney located 7 miles southwest of the airport. While the aircraft was destroyed, the pilot was seriously injured.

Probable cause:

Poor preflight preparation on part of the pilot who failed to secure the fuel cap after he proceed to the aircraft refueling prior to takeoff. This caused the fuel to leak between the parking and takeoff and during initial climb, both engines failed simultaneously due to fuel starvation.

Final Report:

Crash of a Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker at Offutt AFB: 1 killed

Date & Time: Jul 17, 1967

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

59-1465

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Refuelling

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Offutt - Offutt

MSN:

17953

YOM:

1960

Location:

Offutt AFB (Bellevue)

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

After liftoff at Offutt AFB, the airplane encountered difficulties to gain height, stalled and crashed in flames about a mile past the runway end. A crew member was killed while four others were injured. The aircraft was destroyed.

Probable cause:

The pilot-in-command started the rotation prematurely while the aircraft's speed was insufficient.

Crash of a BAc 111-203AE in Falls City: 42 killed

Date & Time: Aug 6, 1966 at 2312 LT

Type of aircraft:

BAc 111

Operator:

Registration:

N1553

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

New Orleans – Shreveport – Fort Smith – Tulsa – Kansas City – Omaha – Minneapolis

MSN:

YOM:

1965

Flight number:

BN250

Location:

Falls City

Country:

Region:

Landing (descent or approach)

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

20767

Captain / Total hours on type:

549.00

Copilot / Total flying hours:

9296

Copilot / Total hours on type:

685

Aircraft flight hours:

2307

Aircraft flight cycles:

2922

Circumstances:

Flight 250 was a scheduled domestic passenger/cargo flight from New Orleans, Louisiana, to Minneapolis, Minnesota, with intermediate stops at Shreveport, Louisiana, Fort Smith, Arkansas, Tulsa, Oklahoma, Kansas City, Missouri, and Omaha, Nebraska. The flight departed from New Orleans at 1835 hours CST and arrived at Kansas City without reported incident. It departed from Kansas City at 2255 hours on an IFR clearance to Omaha via Jet Route 41 at FL 200. Just prior to take-off, the flight was restricted to 5 000 ft due to conflicting traffic. When the flight was about 12 miles north of Kansas City, control of the aircraft was transferred to the Kansas City Air Route Traffic Control Centre (ARTCC). Radar contact was confirmed and the flight was cleared to climb to and maintain FL 200. After some discussion with ARTCC about the weather the flight crew advised that they would like to maintain 5 000 ft to Omaha. They reported they were at 6 000 ft and ARTCC cleared the flight to maintain that altitude until 5 000 ft was available. At 2303 hours the Kansas City ARTCC initiated a transfer of control of the flight to the Chicago ARTCC but before the transfer could be accomplished the flight requested and received permission from the Kansas City controller to deviate to the left of course. At 2306 hours the Kansas City controller cleared the flight to descend to and maintain 5 000 ft and contact the Chicago ARTCC. After some discussion of the weather as it was displayed on the Chicago controller's radar, the flight was advised that another Braniff flight, Flight 255, was on the same frequency and was at 10 000 ft climbing to 17 000 ft after departing Omaha. The crews of the two aircraft exchanged weather information and the crew of Flight 255 advised that they had encountered light to moderate turbulence from about 15 miles southeast of the Omaha airport and that it appeared they would be out of it in another 10 miles based on their radar observations. Flight 250 terminated this conversation at approximately 2308:30 hours. This was the last transmission received from the flight. Ground witnesses stated that they observed the aircraft approach and either fly into or over a shelf of clouds preceding a line of thunderstorms that was approaching frbm the north and northwest, and that shortly thereafter they saw an explosion in the sky followed by a fireball falling out of the clouds. The aircraft crashed at approximately 2312 hours, 7.6 statute miles on a true bearing of 024.50 from Falls City, Nebraska, at an elevation of 1 078 ft AMSL. All 42 occupants have been killed.

Probable cause:

The Board determined that the probable cause of this accident was in-flight structural failure caused by extreme turbulence during operation of the aircraft in an area of avoidable hazardous weather. The following findings were reported:
The aircraft was confronted with a severe squall line which was oriented across its intended flight route. This system was adequately forecast and reported by the Weather Bureau; however, the company forecast was somewhat inaccurate with respect to the number and intensity of thunderstorms and the intensity of the associated turbulence in the system. The crew was aware of the forecast weather and was aware that the system could have been circumnavigated to the west. This was, in fact, suggested by the co-pilot.
Because the company forecast did not predict a solid line of thunderstorms, the company dispatcher did not take any action to delay or to reroute the flight. However, the dispatcher did not relay to the crew information which might have persuaded the pilot- in-command to avoid the storm system. In fact, when the dispatcher was informed of the efforts of other aircraft to avoid the squall line, he should have recommended avoidance action to Flight 250.
In spite of his apparent concern were the en-route weather and his knowledge that the squall line was quite solid, the pilot-in-command elected to penetrate the line using his airborne weather radar to select a "light" area.
Flight 250 never reached the main squall line. Instead, the aircraft broke up in a roll cloud approximately 5 miles from the nearest radar weather echo. At this ti= the aircraft was at the proper configuration and airspeed for flight in turbulence and the autopilot was engaged.
Flight 250 encountered extreme turbulence generated by the strong horizontal and vertical wind shears associated with the outflow of cold air from the approaching squall line. This turbulence probably caused a large angled gust of very short duration with components in the lateral, vertical, and longitudinal planes.
The forces and accelerations produced by this encounter caused the fin and right tailplane to reach their ultimate loads, with near-simultaneous failures resulting. The aircraft then pitched downward until the right wing reached its negative ultimate load. The loss of these components rendered the aircraft uncontrollable and shortly afterward it probably began a random tumbling motion which stabilized some time before impact into a flat-spinning attitude.

Final Report:

Crash of a Douglas A-26B Invader in Scottsbluff: 3 killed

Date & Time: Sep 17, 1965 at 2009 LT

Type of aircraft:

Douglas A-26 Invader

Operator:

Banner Oil Company

Registration:

N67907

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Executive/Corporate/Business

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

28036

YOM:

1944

Location:

Scottsbluff

Country:

Region:

Landing (descent or approach)

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

10846

Captain / Total hours on type:

94.00

Circumstances:

While approaching Scottsbluff Airport in marginal weather conditions, the airplane went out of control and crashed in flames few miles short of runway threshold. The aircraft was destroyed and all three occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

Loss of control apparently caused by icing conditions. The pilot entered an area of known icing conditions and the airplane was not adequately equipped for airframe icing.

Final Report:

Crash of a Convair CV-340-31 in Grand Island

Date & Time: Dec 21, 1962 at 2030 LT

Type of aircraft:

Convair CV-340

Operator:

Registration:

N73130

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Kansas City – Saint Joseph – Omaha – Lincoln – Grand Island – North Platte – Scottsbluff – Denver

MSN:

YOM:

1953

Flight number:

FL363

Location:

Grand Island

Country:

Region:

Boeing KC-97 Stratotanker

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

16411

Captain / Total hours on type:

2939.00

Copilot / Total flying hours:

4602

Copilot / Total hours on type:

1375

Aircraft flight hours:

19654

Circumstances:

The first officer, who was flying, started the approach to runway 17 which does not have approach lights nor Instrument landing System. At the time the aircraft was northbound in the holding pattern of the Grand Island VOR. A 90 degree left turn, then a 270 degree right turn was accomplished which aligned the aircraft, with the runway. The following sequence of events was described by the captain and substantiated by the first officer. The captain stated “. . . We completed the approach checklist and made a turn north of the low frequency range (8391 feet from the threshold of runway 17) which was visible as we went over it. The area around the range and the south half of the distance to the airport was absolutely clear. Our path was one which had the runway lights clearly aligned. (The runway lights were on at position 3 which is medium intensity.) The approach was a normal gradual descent. The radios were tuned to the low frequency range and the Omni. Since we were not ready to land our checklist was complete with the exception of approach flaps and landing flaps and ADI on. There were no ground witnesses to the approach or crash which was in a large level open field. There was no moonlight and the captain testified that except for the lights on the range station, there were no ground lights seen under the approach path. Both he and the first officer testified that they did not observe the runway light appear to "spread," which amounts to a visual warning of being very low - nearly at the level of the lights upon approaching the runway. A weather observation at 2037. seven minutes after the accident was: special, clear, visibility 7 miles, temperature 26 degrees F, dewpoint 26 degrees F, wind south 10 knots, altimeter setting 29.80 inches (aircraft accident) (observation recorded but not transmitted via teletype). The initial point of contact of the nosewheel was about three feet to the right of the extended centerline of runway 17 and approximately 4,061 feet short of the threshold of that runway. Additional marks indicate that the aircraft struck while nearly level longitudinally, in a yaw of about six degrees to the right, and in a shallow left bank. Upon initial impact, the left main landing gear collapsed and was torn free. Both propellers struck the ground and were also torn off with the nose cones of their respective engines. The left wing became detached as the aircraft rolled to the left onto its back and slid, inverted, swerving to the left and coming to rest on a heading of about 045 degrees at a distance of 1,275 feet from the place of first contact. Fire developed in the detached left wing, but not in the fuselage. Consequently all 43 occupants were able to evacuate the aircraft quickly, with the majority going out through the galley service door, which the stewardess opened and the others leaving via the emergency exit at seat 8D. The captain left through a cockpit window; the first officer and one passenger through a hole in the fuselage. Injuries were sustained by both pilots and three passengers. The aircraft was destroyed by a post crash fire.

Probable cause:

The Board determines the probable cause of this accident was failure of the crew to monitor altitude properly during a landing approach.

Final Report:

Crash of a Boeing KC-97G-23-BO Stratotanker in Lincoln

Date & Time: Apr 15, 1960 at 0951 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

52-0919

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Lincoln - March

MSN:

16613

YOM:

1952

Location:

Lincoln

Country:

Region: