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TN

Crash of a Curtiss C-46F-1-CU Commando in Chattanooga

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
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Norfolk – Knoxville – Oklahoma City
MSN:
22406
YOM:
1945
Location:
Chattanooga-Lovell Field
Tennessee
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
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.

Crash of a Fairchild C-119G Flying Boxcar near Sewart AFB: 2 killed

Date & Time: Jan 11, 1955
Type of aircraft:
Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar
Operator:
Registration:
52-5949
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Sewart - Sewart
MSN:
11136
YOM:
1952
Location:
Sewart AFB (Smyrna)
Tennessee
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
37
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
During initial climb, an engine failed. All 37 paratroopers and three of the five crew members abandoned the aircraft that went out of control and crashed in a field located five miles northeast of the airfield. Both pilots were killed.
Probable cause:
Engine failure after takeoff.

Crash of a De Havilland DH.104 Dove 2A in Walden Ridge: 5 killed

Date & Time: Jul 23, 1954
Type of aircraft:
De Havilland DH.104 Dove
Operator:
Gordon Air Services
Registration:
N4278C
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
MSN:
04366
YOM:
1952
Location:
Walden Ridge
Tennessee
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
4
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The twin engine aircraft hit trees and crashed in a wooded area in Walden Ridge, west of Spring City. All five occupants were killed.

Crash of a Fairchild C-119G Flying Boxcar in Huntingdon: 4 killed

Date & Time: Feb 26, 1954 at 1450 LT
Type of aircraft:
Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar
Operator:
Registration:
52-5894
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Training
Survivors:
No
Site:
City
Schedule:
Fort Benning - Fort Benning
MSN:
11061
YOM:
1952
Location:
Huntingdon
Tennessee
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Captain / Total flying hours:
1188
Captain / Total hours on type:
436.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
444
Copilot / Total hours on type:
104
Circumstances:
The crew left Fort Benning-Lawson AFB in Columbus, Georgia, at 1334LT on a training flight to Maxwell AFB, Montgomery, Alabama. The training program consisted of approaches, touch and goes and landings. After takeoff from Fort Benning, the captain decided to modify his schedule and flew to the northwest to Huntingdon, Tennesse, where he came from. This city is more than 300 miles northwest from Fort Benning. Approaching Huntingdon, the captain reduced his altitude and completed a first low pass over the city. Few minutes later, at a speed of 230 knots, he made a second low pass over the city when the plane hit the roof of a house and disintegrated on a field. All four crew members were killed while nobody on the ground was injured.
Crew:
1st Lt Jack C. Jenkins, pilot,
2nd Lt John C. Peachey, copilot,
A2c Franklin D. Levy, flight engineer,
A2c David A. Probus, flight engineer.
Probable cause:
The aircraft disintegrated as a result of stress applied beyond the designed load limits. Inspection of the engines disclosed no malfunction of the power recovery turbines. The pilot violated several procedures by operating an aircraft in a careless and reckless manner, by flying over a congested area at less than 2,000 feet above the highest obstacle within a radius of 2,000 feet, by disregarding established boundaries of the local flying area and proceeding to a point approximately 170 nautical miles outside of the prescribed flying area while operating on a local flight clearance. In addition, the pilot failed to follow instructions for accomplishing scheduled crew training published by squadron training directive and as briefed by the Squadron Operations Officer. The pilot had made two extremely low and high speed passes over the town of Huntingdon.
Final Report:

Crash of a Douglas A-26C-45-DT Invader in Donelson: 3 killed

Date & Time: Jan 16, 1954
Type of aircraft:
Douglas A-26 Invader
Operator:
Registration:
44-35757
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Shaw - Sewart
MSN:
29036
YOM:
1944
Location:
Donelson
Tennessee
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
The crew was returning to Sewart AFB in Smyrna following a mission at Shaw AFB, South Carolina. While approaching from the north in marginal weather conditions, the airplane went out of control, dove into the ground and crashed onto a house located in Donelson, about a mile north of the Nashville International Airport. The airplane and the house were destroyed by fire and all three crew members were killed. A person in the house was injured. At the time of the accident, the cloud base was at 1,100 feet with icing conditions.

Crash of a De Havilland L-20A Beaver near College Grove

Date & Time: Nov 8, 1953
Type of aircraft:
De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver
Operator:
Registration:
52-6099
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
MSN:
471
YOM:
1953
Location:
College Grove
Tennessee
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The pilot was forced to attempt an emergency landing following a fuel exhaustion. The airplane crash landed in a field located five miles northwest of College Grove and was damaged beyond repair. The pilot was unhurt.
Probable cause:
Fuel exhaustion.

Crash of a Beechcraft AT-11 Kansan in Memphis

Date & Time: Sep 12, 1951
Type of aircraft:
Beechcraft AT-11 Kansan
Operator:
Registration:
43-10447
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
MSN:
6521
YOM:
1943
Location:
Memphis
Tennessee
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Crashed half a mile north of Memphis Airport shortly after takeoff. There were no casualties.

Crash of a Fairchild C-119C-17-FA Flying Boxcar near Jackson: 4 killed

Date & Time: Jun 4, 1951
Type of aircraft:
Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar
Operator:
Registration:
49-0192
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Smyrna - Tinker
MSN:
10429
YOM:
1949
Location:
Jackson
Tennessee
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
While cruising in heavy rain falls, the aircraft encountered turbulences and went into a dive. Three crew members were able to bail out before the aircraft crashed in a field located 15 miles southwest of Jackson, Tennessee. While the three occupants who bailed out were unarmed, four other crew members were killed.
Probable cause:
Loss of control in heavy turbulences and rain falls.

Crash of a Fairchild C-119C-15-FA Flying Boxcar near Parsons: 7 killed

Date & Time: Sep 1, 1950
Type of aircraft:
Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar
Operator:
Registration:
49-0163
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Training
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Smyrna - Smyrna
MSN:
10400
YOM:
1949
Location:
Parsons
Tennessee
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
9
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
7
Circumstances:
While completing a local training mission from Smyrna AFB, the crew lost control of the aircraft that crashed in a prairie located seven miles northwest of Parsons. Two crewmen were injured while seven others were killed.

Crash of a Beechcraft AT-11 Kansan in Memphis

Date & Time: Jul 18, 1950
Type of aircraft:
Beechcraft AT-11 Kansan
Operator:
Registration:
42-36894
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Military
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
MSN:
3274
YOM:
1942
Location:
Memphis
Tennessee
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Crashed on takeoff for unknown reason. The crew fate remains unknown.
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