Statuts:	Enquête Officielle
Date:	23 FEV 1945
Heure:	02:25
Type/Sous-type:	Douglas DC-3-277
Compagnie:	American Airlines
Immatriculation:	NC18142
Numéro de série:	2138
Année de Fabrication:	1939
Heures de vol:	17296
Moteurs:	2 Wright G-102
Equipage:	victimes: 2 / à bord: 3
Passagers:	victimes: 15 / à bord: 19
Total:	victimes: 17 / à bord: 22
Dégats de l'appareil:	Perte Totale
Conséquences:	Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Lieu de l'accident:	9 km (5.6 milles) SW of Rural Retreat, VA (Etats-Unis d'Amérique)
Phase de vol:	En vol (ENR)
Nature:	Transport de Passagers Nat.
Aéroport de départ:	Washington (unknown airport), DC, Etats-Unis d'Amérique
Aéroport de destination:	?
Numéro de vol:	9

Détails:
American Airlines Flight 3 en route from New York to Los Angeles departed at 21:39 on February 22, 1945. Departure from Washington had been at 00:11 on February 23. The last radio message from the flight was at 02:05 at 4,000 feet over Pulaski, Virginia. The DC-3 continued, passing through rain and clouds and encountering considerable turbulence. The airplane flew over mountainous terrain and struck the wooded summit of Glade Mountain at approx 3910 feet amsl.

PROBABLE CAUSE: "The pilot's failure to properly plan the flight and remain at a safe instrument altitude under existing conditions. A contributing cause of the accident was the company's laxity in dispatching and supervising the flight."

Sources:
» CAB File No. 875-45
Sample newspaper article from Newspaperarchive.com