Vliegtuigongeval op 26 MAR 1952 met Douglas C-54A-10-DC (DC-4) N65143 - Hugoton-HAP Airport, KS
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Status:Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Datum:woensdag 26 maart 1952
Tijd:17:30
Type:Silhouette image of generic DC4 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Douglas C-54A-10-DC (DC-4)
Luchtvaartmaatschappij:Braniff International Airways
Registratie: N65143
Constructienummer: 10336
Bouwjaar: 1944
Aantal vlieguren:11679
Motoren: 4 Pratt & Whitney R-2000
Bemanning:slachtoffers: 0 / inzittenden: 4
Passagiers:slachtoffers: 0 / inzittenden: 45
Totaal:slachtoffers: 0 / inzittenden: 49
Schade: Afgeschreven
Gevolgen: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Plaats:Hugoton-HAP Airport, KS (   Verenigde Staten)
Fase: Kruisvlucht (ENR)
Soort vlucht:Binnenlandse lijnvlucht
Vliegveld van vertrek:Colorado Springs Municipal Airport, CO (COS/KCOS), Verenigde Staten
Vliegveld van aankomst:Oklahoma City-Will Rogers Airport, OK (OKC/KOKC), Verenigde Staten
Vluchtnummer: 65
Beschrijving:
Braniff Airways' Flight 65 departed Denver, Colorado, at 15:35 for Dallas. It landed at Colorado Springs and departed for Oklahoma City at 16:20. The aircraft was en route at 3000 feet agl when in the vicinity of Hugoton, Kansas, one of the hostesses advised the crew that the right wing was on fire. It was apparently the no. 3 engine had caught fire. The captain then decided to land as quickly as possible on a small airport near Hugoton. The captain then disengaged the autopilot, closed the throttle of the No. 3 engine, put the mixture control at idle cut-off, closed the fuel selector valve, and set the propeller control at the full high pitch position. Following this, he dived the aircraft in an attempt to extinguish the fire and to lose altitude. When an air speed of approximately 230 mph was reached, power was reduced on the remaining three engines. When the air speed decreased to approximately 200 miles per hour, the captain pulled the No. 3 fire extinguisher selector valve control handle and then pulled the discharge handle of the left CO 2 bottle. The landing gear was lowered, and power was resumed on the three remaining engines. About this time the fire warning light in the cockpit came on, and the bell rang. These warning signals continued to operate intermittently. As soon as the gear was down, the descent was steepened and a series of steep slipping "S" turns were made toward the north while approaching the airport. At an altitude of approximately 200 to 300 feet above the ground, the no. 3 engine fell from the aircraft and a pronounced buffeting was experienced. The aircraft touched down in the middle of the airport. The captain applied brake pressure immediately, but the aircraft did not decelerate. Approaching the north boundary of the field, the captain tried to turn left to avoid crossing a road which was adjacent to the airport, but the nose steering wheel was inoperative. Left rudder was immediately applied; however, the aircraft responded so quickly to this action that right rudder had to be applied at once to keep the aircraft from groundlooping. After the aircraft was again rolling straight, the captain pulled back on the wheel, causing the nose wheel to lift from the ground, and the aircraft rolled beyond the airport boundary across a highway, through two fences and a ditch, and came to rest in a wheat field.

Probable Cause:

PROBABLE CAUSE: "An uncontrollable engine fire of unknown origin which necessitated an immediate landing."

Accident investigation:

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Investigating agency: CAB
Status: Investigation completed
Accident number: final report
Download report: Final report

Bronnen:
» CAB File No. 1-0025
» ICAO Circular 38-AN/33 (52-54)


Foto's

photo of Douglas-C-54A-N65143
accident date: 26-03-1952
type: Douglas C-54A (DC-4)
registration: N65143
photo of Douglas-C-54A-N65143
accident date: 26-03-1952
type: Douglas C-54A (DC-4)
registration: N65143
 

Kaart
Deze kaart geeft het vliegveld van vetrek weer en de geplande bestemming van de vlucht. De lijn tussen de vliegvelden geeft niet de exacte vliegroute weer.
De afstand tussen Colorado Springs Municipal Airport, CO en Oklahoma City-Will Rogers Airport, OK bedraagt 730 km (456 miles).

This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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